Sam Allardyce hails important Andy Carroll

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has declared that Andy Carroll is finally showing the form that made his loan capture such a coup last summer.

Carroll scored his sixth goal in 11 matches last weekend to help the Hammers keep their mid-table form going with a 1-1 draw at Southampton.

Allardyce believes that the 24-year-old deserves to be considered among the top strikers in the Premier League if he can maintain his current level of performance.

He told The Mirror: "Andy is very important for us. I always said once he got match-fit he would put the goals in the back of the net and show he is a good scorer as well as a top player and a strong target man.

"We have to sit down at the end of the season and make decisions on all of the out-of-contract and loan players, including Andy. If it could be done, it would be very nice but there's a long way to go between now and then."

Carroll's future remains open to speculation but the striker has admitted that he has not ruled out a permanent move to East London next season.