Xande Silva’s impressive U23 debut could be bad news for Andy Carroll

Add as preferred source on Google

Manuel Pellegrini is seeking to overhaul West Ham United’s style of play, but throughout the summer, the suspicion has persisted that he has been at least one striker short of where he would like to be.

Marko Arnautovic was converted to a frontman by David Moyes last season and has the physical characteristics to play there, but may be needed out wide at times in the long-term absence of Manuel Lanzini.

Javier Hernandez is an incredible option as a super-sub and should benefit from the raft of creative options behind him, but can be found lacking as a lone striker and Slaven Bilic did not fully trust him.

Summer signing Lucas Perez is a solid back-up option, one of Pellegrini’s best summer coups and should be eager to prove himself in England.

However, Pellegrini – who preferred a front two at Manchester City – may well feel he needs one more and that’s where the issues begin.

Jordan Hugill was always an awkward fit and has rightly been loaned to Middlesbrough for the good of his career.

That just leaves Andy Carroll, who could not be a worse fit for what Pellegrini is trying to achieve; the new passing style is the opposite to the direct approach the Geordie needs and his injury record makes him unreliable.

With Carroll having under 12 months left on his contract and reportedly carrying an injury he hopes to recover from by Christmas, the landscape looks bleak for him at the London Stadium.

The issue is surely how Pellegrini replaces him with a more suitable option, but this week’s Under 23 clash between the Hammers and Tottenham may just have provided him with the answer.

At the start of this month, Pellegrini landed highly-rated young Portuguese striker Xande Silva from Vitoria de Guimaraes and the hitman wasted no time making an impression.

He hit a six-minute hat-trick in the win over Spurs in his very first game in Hammers colours, and would surely be a better option as fourth-choice striker than Carroll.

Carroll has showed time and time again that he cannot be relied upon and now he has no obvious role at the London Stadium, he should be shown the exit door in January, by which time Silva should be well adjusted to English football and primed to take his place.