What does the future hold for Andy Carroll?

It has been a stop-start season for Andy Carroll

There was more injury woe for Andy Carroll at St Mary's on Wednesday night.

The England striker was returning from his latest setback as a second-half substitute against Southampton but manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed he received a kick to his knee that will now rule him out for up to another three weeks.

It is the latest setback in a long line of injuries for the 26-year-old former Newcastle and Liverpool frontman. Will the Hammers ever get to see the best of Carroll?

The 15m fee West Ham paid to Liverpool remains a club record and, with less than two years of a six-year deal elapsed, the Hammers will be hoping there is plenty of time to recoup on their investment.

Carroll has been in decent form this season, despite the stop-start nature of his campaign.

The burly striker didn't kick a ball until November but returned to good effect helping West Ham continue their strong start to the season.

Carroll delivered the sort of performance West Ham craved when they signed him as the Hammers came from behind to defeat Swansea in December.

Scoring a brace in the 3-1 win, Carroll earned high praise from his manager.

Allardyce declared the striker as "unstoppable" when in the sort of form that saw him score his first league goals since last March against the Welsh side.

For his part, Carroll reiterated the need to "just think about the positives when injured" but it is now becoming an all too familiar feeling for the man with 34 career goals in the Premier League.

With West Ham having made all their substitutions and goalkeeper Adrian getting himself sent off, Carroll was forced to carry on after getting his latest knock against Southampton and, in his manager's words, make a nuisance of himself.

The recurring injuries are a clear worry for West Ham, but equally the form of last summer's new arrivals in East London ought to be a concern for Carroll.

Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia were recruited by Big Sam to fill the breach left by the injured Carroll at the beginning of this season.

Stewart Downing has been West Ham's standout player this season but Sakho and Valencia have also impressed, combining to score 10 goals.

Sakho, in particular, has looked assured, although like Carroll he has been forced to spend some time on the sidelines recently - notably causing a storm by missing the African Cup of Nations and going on to turn out and score for West Ham in their FA Cup victory at Bristol City.

Valencia arrived in England on the back of scoring three goals for Ecuador at the World Cup in Brazil.

He has been in and out of the side and has managed to complete 90 minutes on just six occasions.

Allardyce is sure to be frustrated with the run of injuries to Carroll. With all three of the clubs leading forwards in their mid-twenties, it is not unreasonable for the manager to expect to have his pick from the three.

On a personal level, Carroll badly needs to get fully fit and enjoy a prolonged run in the team.

This latest setback means it looks less likely that is going to happen this season. Still, the glimpses of form shown when he has been available this term means that Carroll is worth persisting with.

Now into his 27th year, the next 12 months will be crucial for Carroll if he hopes to continue plying his trade at the top level.

Like everyone else, it will not have escaped Carroll's attention that a crop of young English goalscorers are making a name for themselves this season in the Premier League.

In particular, QPR's Charlie Austin looks ready to steal a march on Carroll's hopes of adding to his nine England caps.

Getting back into Roy Hodgson's plans are the least of Carroll's worries right now, however.