Fresh setback 'crippling' for West Ham's Carroll

All three of Carroll's seasons at Upton Park have been heavily interrupted by fitness issues and he will play no further part in the current campaign due to a knee injury that requires surgery.

Carroll has already missed an estimated 14 months of action due to injuries in his time with the club.

A struggle to play regularly has affected the England international as he looks to rebuild a reputation damaged by a fruitless spell at Liverpool.

Allardyce said: "It's crippling mentally for Andy of course because it was such an innocuous situation when you saw it - he just ran into a defender.

"These things have been testing Andy for a number of years so we all feel for him and we all miss him and want him playing for us, because you saw what an impact he has made."