England manager Gareth Southgate is set to hand a second chance to West Ham striker Andy Carroll, according to the Mirror.
Southgate is expected to watch the 6ft 4in talisman in action for the Hammers against Chelsea on Monday night. The England bosswill then make up his mind on whether to include Carroll in hissquadfor their upcoming fixtures this month.
Andy Carroll needs 1 goal to become only the fifth @WestHamUtd player to score 30 PL goals for the club (@OptaJoe)
Who are the other four? pic.twitter.com/xmEQOxIEm0
The idea that Carroll deserves a second chance in the England squad has been a popular view shared by supporters over the past few months.
The West Hamstriker has been in fine form this season and some fans havearguedthat heprovides an'alternative option' upfront due to his aerial ability- something that theEngland side crave when struggling to break teams down.
Southgate's latest scouting mission follows the news that he went to check out Carroll in February, only to be let down after he picked up a groin injury.
Carroll has six goals in 12 appearances for West Ham this season - including that stunning overhead bicycle kick against Crystal Palace in January.
West Ham striker Andy Carroll wins Goal of The Month #striker #carroll #month https://t.co/AKABffwnyi pic.twitter.com/dUlrY2b14R
Carroll has been out of action since the start of February, buthe has trained with West Ham's first team this week, and is likely to feature against Chelsea with Michail Antonio absent due to a ban.
Southgate is set to decide on Carroll's inclusion in his plansprior to announcinghis squad for England's upcominginternational fixtures on March 16 - six days beforetheir 'friendly' with old foes Germany.
Carroll's last appearancefor the national sidecame in England's Euro 2012 campaign, a game in which he scored with a header against Sweden.