Andy Carroll hails Slaven Bilic's training plan after return to fitness

Andy Carroll no longer goes full throttle in training but believes his new regimen is making all the difference in his battle against injuries.

The Hammers striker spent seven months out with knee ligament damage but made his fourth substitute appearance of the season at the weekend, helping West Ham climb to third in the Premier League table with his match-winning strike against Chelsea.

Injuries have restricted Carroll to just 37 appearances for the east London club since his permanent move in June 2013, but the forward credits his new-found fitness to a bespoke training plan under new manager Slaven Bilic.

"He [Bilic] has been very good with me, he has understood that I was out for a long time," Carroll told Sky Sports. "He hasn't forced me back into training, I've been doing training on my own schedule and maybe missing a day during the week. He's understood what I need, and he's been great.

"I would train every day after coming back from injury and play at the weekend [in the past]. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to do, but it's what I wanted and the manager wanted. To be honest, I still want that, but he [Bilic] has put a stop to it. I'll be in the gym while the lads train.

"Rushing back last season was hard on my body, and this season I have taken it easier. I have been training now for a good couple of months and I feel good.

"This is the longest I have had without being rushed back in. It's great to be back on the pitch - I had eight months in the gym by myself, and those were dark days."

Former West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was critical of Carroll earlier this month, claiming the striker did not always push himself 100 per cent in training.

It's a charge that Carroll does not deny, but the 26-year-old striker insists he holds back to prevent unnecessary injuries to himself and team-mates.

"I'm not going to give 100 per cent in training like I do in games," Carroll continued. "I know a lot of the lads come out of training battered and bruised and so do I. I'm not going to do that in training.

"If I give 80 per cent in training, the 20 per cent is me knocking people over. Obviously Sam [Allardyce] says I wasn't giving 100 per cent, and that's the 20 per cent there, but if he wanted me to, then there would be a lot more injuries.

"Definitely, I do [agree with Sam]. It's not that I don't try, it's just that the 20 per cent is what I do to stop injuries - for me and my teammates!"

Bilic replaced Allardyce over the summer, and the former Croatia manager has guided the Hammers into the top four following impressive victories over Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.

"His tactics every game have been great, he has been fantastic since he's come in," Carroll said. "It has been different tactics for each game, and most of them have come off.

"We have long meetings, sometimes they could be boring meetings, but they are paying off! He's brought a lot of players in to slot into certain positions and they have fitted in nicely. He has signed some great players, and they have been stars of the season so far."

Watch the full interview with Andy Carroll on Soccer Saturday from 12 noon on Sky Sports News HQ.