West Ham have been dealt a big blow ahead of the new season after Andy Carroll revealed he needs to undergo surgery on a troublesome ankle problem.
Carroll was forced to miss most of last season with a heel injury while he also had to sit out two games of West Ham’s current tour of New Zealand.
The Hammers have yet to comment, but the striker revealed on Twitter that he is set to undergo an operation on Friday morning.
Just how long he will be out for remains to be seen, but there are suggestions he could be looking at up to four months on the sidelines.
“Going under the knife tomorrow morning and absolutely devastated to be missing the start of the season!” he tweeted on Thursday night.
The news comes as a huge blow to Hammers boss Sam Allardyce as he prepares for the new campaign.
Allardyce will be under pressure to get off to a good start after coming in for some heavy criticism last season when the Hammers flirted with relegation before finishing in 13th place.
West Ham are 7.00 to be relegated from the Premier League next season and although Allardyce will be confident of keeping away from the drop zone, he will also realise the importance of a solid start.
Carroll has also been heavily linked with a return to former club Newcastle but his injury is sure to put an end to all the rumours once and for all this summer.
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