Bilic boosted with Carroll set to start again

Andy Carroll is in line to start his second straight match for West Ham when they
00001127
take on Hull City.

West Ham host Mike Phelan’s men at London Stadium on Saturday as they look to build on their last two matches, from which they have collected four points against Liverpool and Burnley.

Those results have given them a four-point gap over the bottom three going into the visit of 19th-placed Hull.

Carroll played for 83 minutes against Burnley in his first start since August and Bilic has been thrilled with his recovery from a knee injury.

“I said after the game he was supposed to play 30 minutes and not to start but to come from the bench,” said Bilic at his pre-match media conference.

“But I spoke to him and he had done enough training and came on a couple of times against Arsenal and Liverpool.

“Then the plan was for him to play for 60 minutes on Wednesday, but then I asked him at half-time and he was really good and went on until 80 minutes.

“He is very positive and that makes my very positive.”

Bilic has also been boosted by the news that highly rated teenager Reece Oxford has decided to sign a new four-and-a-half year contract.

The club claimed Oxford had been the subject of interest from Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United and the manager feels his signature represents a significant coup for the Hammers.

“It’s great news to sign up Reece Oxford, one of the best talents,” he said. “It’s the best club for him to continue his development.”

Hull, meanwhile, are looking to recover from a 3-0 loss to Tottenham last time out – a 10th defeat from their previous 14 league games.

Phelan said: “We had opportunities to score, but unfortunately we didn’t take them. The positive is that we are creating chances, we now just need to start taking them.

“Our heads won’t dip though. There’s no point sulking about things that have happened. We look forward to the next game.

“We find ourselves in a position that’s tight. One win can give you that extra bit of confidence.”