£15.5m deal fires Andy Carroll’s England aim

Andy Carroll hopes his club record move to West Ham United will help him cement a place in the England squad ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The 24-year-old finalised what is understood to have been a £15.5million deal, plus a further £2m in add-ons, from Liverpool after passing a medical.

Carroll, whose six-year deal could be extended by a further two, scored seven times in 24 league appearances while on loan at Upton Park last season, when much of his spell stay in east London was hampered by injuries.

However, Carroll feels if all goes well for him at the Irons next season, then he should be very much in Roy Hodgson’s plans once again as the Three Lions battle to qualify for the World Cup.

“I just want to keep fit now, keep scoring goals and performing for West Ham. If I do that here, play well and keep fit, then hopefully I will get in the England team,” Carroll told West Ham TV.

Yesterday’s confirmation brings to an end a largely disappointing spell of the centre-forward’s career at Anfield, where he never really made a major impact following a high-profile £35m on transfer deadline day from Newcastle in January 2011.