• The next step is to wait and see how Carroll’s ankle has responded to the procedure
• Wilshere played 66 minutes at the London Stadium before being replaced by Portuguese forward Mesaque Dju
Andy Carroll is facing a race to be fit for the start of next season after undergoing ankle surgery, news that almost certainly ends his West Ham career.
The news of Carroll’s operation emerged on Monday morning as the striker looks to cure a long-standing problem that resurfaced last month.
The 30-year-old will miss the rest of the season, but there are now concerns the former England striker could miss the start of next season as the recovery process begins. The next step is to wait and see how Carroll’s ankle has responded to the procedure.
There is no indication at present whether the former Liverpool star needs a follow-up operation, which is common with ankle injuries. Carroll will now turn his attentions to recovering and getting fit as he looks to kick-start his career next season.
The Hammers are yet to inform the striker of their final decision over his future, with Carroll out of contract this summer. But West Ham are inclined not to offer the player a new deal. Carroll missed the first four months of this season after an earlier ankle operation.
He has made 14 appearances since returning but was sidelined again by another ankle setback. Carroll has scored 34 goals in 142 appearances for West Ham since arriving from Liverpool, initially on loan, in August 2012, but his seven-year stay has been plagued by injury problems and his final weeks in east London will go the same way.
However, there was better injury news for Manuel Pellegrini on Sunday when Jack Wilshere returned to action for West Ham Under 23s against Leicester after battling a persistent ankle injury.
Wilshere played 66 minutes at the London Stadium before being replaced by Portuguese forward Mesaque Dju. The former Arsenal star, 27, who signed for West Ham as a free agent last summer, has not featured since facing Newcastle in December.