Stewart Downing believes that having Andy Carroll sidelined again is not good news for his club West Ham United at all.
Carroll had to sit out for more than half of the previous season as well because of his fitness issues.
This summer, he was expected to be playing a big role in the front line of West Ham, but, unfortunately, he got his ankle injured while on the pre-season tour of Australia and there is no chance of him returning to action for at least 3-4 weeks.
Speaking to the reporters about Carroll yesterday, Downing said, “He was up and running and was very excited about the upcoming season, but, it seems that he will have to wait for a few weeks now before he can get back to the park again. That’s really unfortunate not only for him, but, for team as well. We are hoping that he doesn’t remain out for long as his return will only get us strengthened. In the meantime, this is a good opportunity for the young strikers in the squad.”
West Ham’s start to their tour of Australia hasn’t been the best. They were beaten by the A-League side Wellington Phoenix the other day. They will face Sydney FC in their second match on the tour the day after tomorrow and they would be hoping for a win in that match to get their confidence level high with the Premier League not that far away.
When asked about that defeat against Phoenix, Downing said, “It shows that no team can be taken lightly. It was supposed to be a cake walk for us, but, it didn’t prove to be.”
Downing wasn’t one of the starters for the Hammers in that Phoenix game, but, he might start against Sydney on Wednesday.