West Ham boss would be happy with international call-up for striker

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has encouraged Roy Hodgson to include newly fit striker Andy Carroll in his next England squad.

The towering frontman, on loan from Liverpool, returned from a month-long hamstring injury to help his side in the 2-1 win over QPR last night.

And Allardyce believes he has the fitness and confidence play a part in the World Cup qualifiers against San Marino on 12 October and Poland on 16 October, with Hodgson naming his squad for those games on Thursday.

He said: "Andy needed to come on and relieve the pressure that QPR were putting on us because Carlton Cole was tiring after playing very well.

“Andy came on and started holding the ball up and we started creating more and more chances. But for Julio Cesar's saves, we would have scored even more than we did.”

Allardyce added: "I will speak to Roy personally and give him the full lowdown on Andy’s match fitness –  he is woefully short of match fitness.

"He only played twice for Liverpool, he played 68 minutes for us and now another 18 so he is short of match fitness which is delicate to deal with and I am sure Roy will deal with it in the right way.

"It will give him match fitness, if it is done sensibly but I don't want to tell Roy how to do his job.

“II have to say we have spent a huge amount of time getting him here and because of fatigue he pulled his hamstring in the first game so we have to manage that and I think if England call him up they will manage that.

"You saw his left-foot shot, there was not a lack of confidence in that was there? I think given the service, that we have to give him, he will get stronger and stronger."