• England News

Hughton cools talk of Carroll row

ESPN staff
November 18, 2010
Andy Carroll performed reasonably well on his England debut © PA Photos
Enlarge

Newcastle boss Chris Hughton has admitted that he did have concerns over Andy Carroll appearing for England against France, but he insists the fact that the striker played 72 minutes will be of benefit to the Magpies.

Carroll, who made his England debut in the 2-1 defeat at Wembley, was nursing a groin injury when he arrived at national team training. Newcastle reportedly expected him to be sent back to St. James' Park to recuperate, but the England medical staff insisted he was fit to take the field.

A club v country row threatened to escalate but, after Carroll showed no signs of being inhibited by the problem against Les Bleus, Hughton has moved to cool talk of a feud.

"What we did do was voice our concerns," Hughton said. "We assessed him on the Sunday morning and at that stage he looked extremely doubtful, not only for Wednesday but also the weekend.

"Of course he's a very tough individual, and the improvement he went through from Monday through to Wednesday saw him play in the game. That's where we are, but we have to state that the lines of communication between ourselves and the FA were very good.

"No [frustration] at this moment because we would have benefited from it - the fact he's got through 70 minutes, he's made his debut."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices