But sadly for West Ham it looks as though Carroll’s comeback will come at a cost.
Javier Hernandez was the £16million signing from Bayer Leverkusen this summer – and absolute bargain for a seasoned forward in this inflated market.
He is a proven goalscorer in the Premier League, having won the title with Manchester United.
But just like his days at Old Trafford and when he was on loan at Real Madrid, it seems as though Hernandez will once again be moved aside for a strong, more aggressive centre-forward.
Hernandez is a superb finisher and a battling footballer. What he lacks in stature he makes up for a character. But everywhere he goes he is the one who must move aside when a bigger guy comes in.
At Old Trafford it was Wayne Rooney and Robin van Perise, at the Bernabeu Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Against Huddersfield on Monday night Hernandez was shoved out wide on the left and didn’t do anything with the ball. Not that he had the opportunity to, for rather than playing off Carroll for his knock-downs Hernandez was made to be a spectator on the touchline.
He eventually came inside in search of the ball and, yes, he hit the crossbar early on in the 2-0 win. But surprise surprise he was subbed off on 65 minutes for Andre Ayew.
This is not Hernandez’s position, it’s Ayew’s. And West Ham looked more proficient with the Ghana international playing off the big man.
There’s a very real chance Hernandez will remain stuck out wide or even on the bench during the periods when Carroll is fit – and that isn’t fair on someone who offers so much in terms of skill set and talent.
He faces the same situation that Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane had at Tottenham and what Danny Welbeck has had to endure on occasion at Arsenal. Great strikers but not the big lump the manager wants.
Hernandez also appears to be a decent bloke, so he won’t kick up a fuss if he’s shifted around. Yet he’s ineffective in this system. Bilic must find a way to accommodate both of his top forwards… or wait until Carroll gets injured again.