WEST HAM boss Slaven Bilic has revealed Andy Carroll will only be offered a new deal if he can prove his fitness.
The 28-year-old is in line to start his third Premier League match in a row when the Hammers welcome Tottenham to the London Stadium in Saturday’s early kick-off.
Carroll – under contract with the West Ham until 2019 – has been plagued with injuries since signing on a permanent deal from Liverpool.
Speaking prior to the London derby against Spurs, Bilic said: “This is his season to be fit, to stay fit.
“He’s got two years (on his current contract). If we are talking about his contract, the question mark about him is his fitness, how much he is available during the season.
“We are doing things a little bit different in terms of we are not pushing him as soon as he was back.
“I remember two seasons ago or even last season that they told us it was always the case in his career, after a couple of sessions rolling up the sleeves and roll inside and 100 mph straight away.
“We have done a little bit different now. We are trying to maintain and improve his fitness by managing him not with a caution but not also to rush him straight away if we need him.
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“He was always in good shape. Of course, when he comes back from injuries he needs to get co-ordination back.
“He was always in a good shape for us, and that was a killer because you want him to be playing for us.”
While the Croatian manager has insisted the former Newcastle striker must raise him game as he competes with £16million summer signing Javier Hernandez.
Bilic added: “He is not one that slows down because he feels he is the king. He’s got competition now. He had competition last year on paper but Diafra Sakho was injured.
“Now we have Chicharito because we didn’t want to stay just on Andy, knowing what happened in the last couple of seasons. It is good to have competition.
⚽ Ian Wright's First Goalscorer Tips ⚽
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Former striker Ian Wright selects his top picks for the weekend.
- Harry Kane (West Ham v Spurs): "The Tottenham star is up and running now." (3/1 - add to your betslip)
- Jermain Defoe (Everton v Bournemouth): "Jermain is looking sharp and ready to pounce." (13/2 - add to your betslip)
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Jamie Vardy (Leicester v Liverpool): "He's the standout contender to give the Foxes the lead." (11/2 - add to your betslip)
While Hernandez - who has been shifted out on the wings - has revealed he is happy to play where he is needed, not where he prefers.
He said: "My life doesn't revolve around goals. I like to be on that pitch, if I play left winger, left midfielder, even left back, wherever.
"I like to push myself to keep on growing, to adapt to any circumstances. I just love to play football."
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