West Ham boss Slaven Bilic tells Andy Carroll he must stay fit to earn new deal: 'The question mark about him is how much he is available'
- West Ham striker Andy Carroll has two years left on his current contract
- Carroll is approaching the time for talks over an extension to his deal
- Boss Slaven Bilic says the 28-year-old must stay fit to earn a new contract
- BETTING GUIDE: Carroll worth a punt against Spurs in this weekend's action
Slaven Bilic has told Andy Carroll he has to show he can stay fit and injury-free this season if he wants to earn a new West Ham contract.
Carroll is approaching the time for talks over an extension to his deal, and the 28-year-old is set to start a third game on the trot when Tottenham visit the London Stadium for Saturday's derby.
'This is his season to be fit, to stay fit,' said West Ham manager Bilic. '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.'
Slaven Bilic has told Andy Carroll he has to show he can stay fit to earn a new contract
West Ham boss Bilic is prepared to field Carroll for the third straight game against Tottenham
While £16million summer signing Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez has been used on the left wing by Bilic, the manager has warned Carroll he has stiff competition to stay as the No 1 striker.
'I don't think he was getting injured because he was sloppy and lazy and he thought, 'I have no competition, I will play anyway',' Bilic said.
'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.
The 28-year-old striker is approaching the time for talks over an extension to his deal
'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.'
This fixture last season was won by a goal from Manuel Lanzini, but the Argentinian is not available today.
'Look, we are without Lanzini,' Bilic said. 'We can't order a bottle of whisky and cry that some players are not playing. I hope (he is fit) for Swansea (on September 30).'
As for Hernandez, he insisted he was happy with being deployed out on the wing. 'My life doesn't revolve around goals,' said the Mexican.
'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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