Monday 18 September 2017 16:46, UK
Slaven Bilic is considering forming a West Ham strike partnership between Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll but concedes it is "very hard to please everyone".
Carroll returned after five months out with a hip injury to feature in last week's 2-0 win over Huddersfield, playing a key part in helping get the side's season up and running with their first Premier League win.
Carroll's return raised questions as to where Bilic will opt to field Hernandez, with some questioning the manager's recent move to play the Mexican wide on the left - outside of his more ideal position up front.
Asked whether he feels the pair could partner in the No 9 and No 10 roles, Bilic said: "Yes, but it's very hard to please everyone."
"It's possible, of course, and I'm thinking about that the most.
"It's very hard to put two of them on their ideal positions as two strikers, which looks really good on paper.
"It's easy to do that of course, but then it's very hard to have three at the back...it's almost impossible."
Hernandez joined West Ham from Bayer Leverkusen for £16m this summer and scored twice in his first four league games.
"Chicharito is at the moment playing in a position that is not his ideal position," said Bilic.
"But I spoke to him and he is a great lad and I said 'we have priorities and at the moment the team needs you there' and he is doing the job, of course.
"Now we have to keep it - we have to keep the stability, we can't lose it."
Bilic confirmed centre-half James Collins faces "a couple of weeks" out of action after sustaining an ankle injury during West Ham's 0-0 draw with West Brom on Saturday, but expressed relief at the absence not being longer.
The Croatian was pleased with his team's performance at the Hawthorns as they made it four points from their last two games to ease some pressure, after beginning their campaign with three consecutive defeats.
"It was not a beautiful game, but very few games are beautiful," he continued.
"The priority was to be compact and be solid and to stop them from counter-attacking or being dangerous in their patterns.
"We know we have to add more chances and creation. That will come with confidence, with maintaining that pattern, and with points.
"We stopped that fall."
Following the return from his latest injury, Bilic admitted the club must seek to protect Carroll by ensuring the 28-year-old is well-rested between games.
"Of course we have to manage him," he said.
"He looks good, he looks fit and he is training.
"Hopefully he is going to last, because that was his problem for ages now - that he is not available all the time.
"We are managing him, to be fair, a little bit differently this season. Definitely, we will - never say never of course - never rush him.
"When he has just come back, we will try to avoid him playing three games a week, let's say, for 90 minutes."
The Hammers host Bolton in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday and Bilic confirmed he plans to field a strong Starting XI.
"It's a big game for us and that is all we think about," he said.
"We are very ambitious.
"If you have a look at the round that was being played a few weeks ago, most of the clubs are playing with good teams.
"There are some changes, but that is mostly because you want to give the guys you are going to need and maybe they are not playing at the moment regularly are chance.
"There are going to be some changes but it is going to be players who have already played for us in the Premier League this season and also last season.
"That game is all that I think about and we want to progress, of course.
"You never know in a Cup competition, with a little bit of luck in the draw and a few games, you are there."
