Macdonald backs Carroll for England
Newcastle United legend Malcolm Macdonald says that Fabio Capello should be paying attention to the form of Andy Carroll above any other English striker.
Carroll hit a hat-trick during Newcastle's 6-0 demolition of Aston Villa and Macdonald is a firm believer that Carroll should be in the England side ahead of Bobby Zamora and Jermaine Defoe.
Carroll is Newcastle United through and through. He has come through the academy system at the club and seems to have hit the ground running this season despite Newcastle's opening 3-0 defeat to Manchester United.
Carroll possesses a number of qualities that could make him a very good striker on the international stage with England. However, there are a lot of English strikers around at the moment and he will have to earn his way in.
Carroll's qualities
Carroll offers any side something a little bit different in the respect that he is very tall and very quick. This allows him to play different roles at the top of a team. He can hold the ball up if it is played long or he can run in behind a defence.
His touch and control is very good and this is key for any striker that wants to do well. It ensures that he does not panic when he's in front of goal and his finishing is in fine form as the display against Aston Villa showed.
He is a very hungry and determined young man. He has stated his desire to wear the England shirt at some point in his career but he already has a tough task on his hands by wearing the number nine shirt for Newcastle. This in itself brings a tremendous amount of pressure.
Macdonald said: "For Andy Carroll, I've been saying that this was going to be his make-or-break season. Doing it in the Championship is one thing and I felt he could have got more goals. This weekend he's gone through a major barrier for himself. It wasn't just scoring a hat-trick. They were three high-quality goals."
Plenty of talent
There is plenty of talent around at the moment for Fabio Capello to choose from and Carroll will have to remember this if he has England ambitions. Zamora has started the season well with Fulham while the likes of Defoe and Darren Bent at Sunderland are always going to be on the fringes of the England side.
If Carroll wants to get in then he will have to get himself noticed through goal scoring. One hat-trick does not mean Carroll is guaranteed to start in England's next game. He has to keep doing all of the small things very well and he will eventually get a chance.
Macdonald added: "Now he really has got the opportunity to show himself to be what a lot of people on Tyneside really think he is, and that's England material. He was watching Zamora I'd imagine. I think Andy Carroll is way ahead that's for sure, particularly on this weekend's performances."
Betting advice
Carroll's hat-trick against Villa was not a fluke because he is a very good striker. He is favourite to finish top scorer at Newcastle and don't be afraid to back him to achieve this by the end of the season.
As for England be a lot more cautious. There are other players who will feel they deserve a chance ahead of Carroll and Capello is likely to give in to this pressure. However, when he does get a chance to wear the white shirt then have a punt on him to score during an international game.
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