West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has said that he is confident of keeping Andy Carroll at the club despite the ongoing speculation regarding the Englishman’s future. The 29-year-old has just six months remaining on his existing deal with the Hammers and this has recently witnessed him linked with Celtic and former club Newcastle United.

However, speaking after the Hammers’ 2-0 FA Cup win over Birmingham City, Pellegrini indicated that he was pleased with the performance of the former Liverpool man, who found the scoresheet after coming off the bench for Marko Arnautovic during the first period, he said: “He scored, missed a good chance, cleared two or three difficult balls. He will return to be the player that we know, for sure. He does not want to go anywhere, he is happy here at this club.”

Carroll can be unplayable for the opposition defence when he has the perfect game but such kind of performances have been few and far between at West Ham, where he has struggled with injury concerns every season. This has undoubtedly brought the frustration among a major section of the fans and the same appears to have influenced the hierarchy, who have been reluctant to extend his contract beyond the current campaign.

Still, Pellegrini seems prepared to risk the player for the season, given the Hammers have gone through a tough phase where a number of first-team stars have been sidelined with injuries. West Ham recently progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup after they got the better of Birmingham City by a 2-0 scoreline.Next up, they are scheduled to entertain Arsenal in a London derby in the Premier League next weekend and the game should promise entertainment with both teams not at their best with the defensive scheme of things.