West Ham team news: Under-pressure Slaven Bilic will make late decision on Andy Carroll

Striking choice | Bilic to decide whether to throw Carroll in at the deep end

Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images

Ken Dyer11 September 2017

Slaven Bilic will leave it until the last minute before deciding whether to go for broke and play Andy Carroll from the start against Huddersfield tonight or use the big striker as an impact player.

The injury-plagued Carroll has been back in full training for two weeks following a thigh problem and is keen to start his first match since April. However, Bilic may prefer to start with Diafra Sakho, who wanted to join Rennes on transfer deadline day.

The Hammers manager is under pressure with his team bottom of the Premier League following three successive defeats and has spent the past two weeks with his staff contemplating changes to his team and system.

Bilic is again without Marko Arnautovic, who completes his three-match ban plus the injured Manuel Lanzini and Edimilson Fernandes but centre-half Winston Reid returns.

The Croatian, meanwhile, says his relationship with co-owner David Sullivan remains “polite and decent” despite speculation the board are already looking at possible replacements should West Ham lose tonight.

“If I don’t like something I tell him straight,” said Bilic. Referring to the club’s failed attempt to sign midfielder William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon, the manager said: “You can’t get everything. It was a money issue but I really wanted the player. That was the reason we off-loaded players - to get the budget.”