Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew believes West Ham striker Andy Carroll is one of few forwards in the world who are unplayable .
Pardew, who sold Carroll to Liverpool for £35 million during his time in charge of Newcastle United in 2011, knows the threat the 26-year-old possesses.
Carroll has only played 21 minutes of Premier League football since February but is now fit and ready to work his way back into the West Ham line-up.
He s unplayable at times, Pardew said ahead of Saturday s hosting of West Ham.
There aren t many strikers who are completely unplayable, and he s one of them. In recent years in the Premier League, as an attacker of the ball in the air, there has been no one better than him.
There aren t many strikers with the same aggression as him on crosses. He will slam into a centre half to try to score — not in an illegal way, but he gets bumps and bruises and it s his bravery that gets him into trouble at times.
I hope he gets a free run from injury because he s a fine player.
He added: He gives you a powerful presence at the top of the pitch, and at set plays. His technical ability is underrated in my opinion, and I’ve always found him to be a real winner on the pitch.
