The Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has said that Andy Carroll is a major threat when Manchester United take on West Ham at Old Trafford in the midweek Premier League action. The Liverpool striker is currently on loan at West Ham United for the rest of the season.

Wayne Rooney is no stranger to Andy Carroll having played with him at international level. Even though the former Newcastle man has scored just one goal in the last eight matches, he is a major handful for the defenders according to Rooney. Andy Carroll is well known for providing a lot of physical presence to teams up front.

However, he has been extremely poor since the £ 35 million move to Liverpool. This led to the loan deal to West Ham United till the end of the season. Sir Alex Ferguson has recently said that Andy Carroll is a clear case of someone who is struggling to live up with his price tag. United go into the match against West Ham top of the table. They are one point ahead of Manchester City, and they will be looking to maintain the advantage as the Christmas fixtures come closer. Rooney has said that a player like Carroll does not always score a lot of goals, but is extremely crucial to the team.

"Andy Carroll is a handful. I am sure if you ask any defender, they find it difficult to play against someone like that who is good in the air and on the floor. He is physical and he makes it difficult. That type of player doesn't always get all the goals but they can cause trouble up front and create problems. I am sure that is what Sam Allardyce wants him to do," said Rooney ahead of the match against West Ham on Wednesday.