Carroll's injury is big blow for United boss

01 January 2011 11:20
NEWCASTLE boss Alan Pardew is desperately hoping star striker Andy Carroll has not suffered a serious thigh injury that will sideline him for a number of months.[LNB] Carroll has been ruled out of tomorrow's Premier League match at Wigan after complaining of tightness and pain in his thigh, and is extremely unlikely to feature in Wednesday's home game with West Ham.[LNB] If the striker's injury is merely a strain, he could be available for next weekend's FA Cup tie at Stevenage, but if he has torn thigh muscles, he could be facing a much longer spell on the sidelines.[LNB] Carroll travelled to London yesterday with a member of Newcastle's medical staff for a series of detailed scans that will confirm the extent of the damage, and Pardew admits he is hoping for good news ahead of tomorrow's trip to the DW Stadium.[LNB] "Andy has a thigh injury, which is being assessed," said the Magpies manager. "He has travelled down to London with the doctor to see just how serious, or not serious, it is. Are there fears it could be serious Yes, but we're all a bit in the dark at this stage.[LNB] "You are talking about one of the best young players in the country, who has had a fantastic first half of the season. We don't want him to be missing for too long, that's for sure."[LNB] Carroll's importance has been apparent throughout the first half of the campaign, and his absence will highlight the lack of attacking alternatives available to the Magpies.[LNB] The England international has scored 11 of Newcastle's 28 Premier League goals, and accounted for six of the club's last nine successes.[LNB] He will be replaced by a fit-again Shola Ameobi tomorrow, with the 29-year-old having shaken off the hamstring injury that kept him out of this week's defeats to Manchester City and Tottenham.[LNB] The timing of Ameobi's return to fitness could hardly be more opportune, but his poor injury record and previous failure to establish himself in the Premier League does not augur well if Newcastle are forced to make do without Carroll's services for an extended spell.[LNB] Beyond Ameobi, Pardew's only other attacking options are the unproven Nile Ranger, the inconsistent Peter Lovenkrands and forgotten man Leon Best.[LNB] "Can Newcastle score without Andy Carroll Yes, I think so," said Pardew. "We have enough in the group to suggest we can. Hopefully, he will not be out for too long, so I don't want to harp on too much about it.[LNB] "For now, the focus is not so much that Andy will be missing, it's more about our tactical approach and the questions we have to answer in the immediate term. It's no good looking backwards or forwards, it's all about the next game."[LNB] In the longer term, though, an extended absence for Carroll would surely force Pardew's hand in the transfer market.[LNB] The Newcastle manager will spend around £5m at the start of next week to turn Hatem Ben Arfa's loan move from Marseilles into a permanent transfer.[LNB] The outlay represents a significant proportion of his January budget, but the goalposts may well have to move if Carroll is ruled out for two or three months. In that situation, Pardew would almost certainly attempt to extract more money from owner Mike Ashley.[LNB] In the meantime, loans remain his primary focus, with Tottenham striker Robbie Keane having emerged as a possible temporary addition when the transfer window reopens later today.[LNB] "Our priority is to strengthen offensively if possible," confirmed Pardew, who has also been linked with a loan move for Manchester City and England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. "That will be the area we are looking at.[LNB] "I think that if any player of (Robbie Keane's) quality becomes available, we will be interested in them. If it's possible to bring them to the club, we will definitely be having a look to see.[LNB] "It's a fluid market, and whoever is for sale has to be at the right price. If a loan situation comes our way, that would probably be the route if I'm honest."[LNB] Left-back Jose Enrique is expected to return to Newcastle's starting line-up tomorrow as the Magpies look to record their first win in Wigan since 1954.[LNB] Charles N'Zogbia will be missing for the Latics following his dismissal in this week's 2-2 draw with Arsenal, but having watched Wednesday's game at the DW Stadium, Pardew will not be taking anything for granted.[LNB] "Wigan are on a decent run," he said. "Their confidence has picked up. When they went down to ten men on Wednesday, they nicked a goal straight away from a set play and there was a real resilience.[LNB] "When teams are on good form, they have that in them. No one went missing when the team had to go to work. They are a tough nut. They have powerful individuals, strong, athletic players and they don't put the ball at risk."[LNB]

Source: Northern_Echo