West Ham chairman: Andy Carroll will not retire

West Ham United co-chairman David Gold has dismissed suggestions that striker Andy Carroll’s latest injury will end his career.

The former Newcastle United talisman sat out the Hammers’ pre-season friendly against Wellington Phoenix in Auckland last night and will also miss Saturday’s clash with Sydney FC in Wellington.

Their tour of New Zealand was seen as a perfect opportunity for Carroll to make up for lost time and reach optimum fitness levels, having missed half of last term through ankle trouble.

But he sustained a sore left ankle in training and, as a precautionary measure, will play no part in the upcoming fixtures.

The London outfit are confident the latest blow is not related to last season’s ailment and Gold took to social media site Twitter to play down comparisons with the woes of former West Ham star Dean Ashton, whose ankle problem ultimately claimed his career.

A follower asked Gold: “Is the Carroll injury similar to the Dean Ashton injury which ended his career?”

The veteran businessman replied: “Absolutely not.”

West Ham hope to provide more competition for places up front by completing the signature of Pachuca forward Enner Valencia in the coming days, once he has been granted a work permit.