He is on the cusp of finding his top level again

One of the big reasons why it has taken Andy so long to reach his optimum fitness level is because of the difficulties he has had with injuries after he was bought by the Reds back in January. He found it hard to get into a rhythm and provide the sort of performances which we saw him exhibit for Newcastle at the start of last season. Barring one excellent performance against Manchester City, Carroll really found it hard to get going and back into the form which sprung him to prominence.

What was needed, it was believed, was an extensive pre-season to get him back to full fitness and get that sizeable frame in full working order. Luckily for us, he was omitted from Stuart Pearce’s Under 21 side for the European Championships, which could have so easily scuppered Carroll’s hopes of a full pre-season, and he was afforded time off to recover from all aches and pains before being put on a strict fitness programme by the Reds’ Sports Science team.

After ramping up his displays for Guangdong, Malaysian XI, Hull City, Galatasaray, Valerenga and Valencia, he has now in pretty good condition. It has been noticeable that out of all the players, Carroll has played the majority of games in pre-season and he will surely benefit from this as the season starts next week. His Valencia display shows me that he is on the cusp of finding his top level again, and all opposition defences should be very concerned going up against the Geordie this season.

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