Carroll on Royals return...
Andy Carroll is back in blue and white and he was buzzing for the deal to finally be completed so he can be back out on the pitch with his Royals’ teammates.
The nine time capped England international spent two months with the club last season and once he knew there was a chance he could come back to Berkshire, he took it with both hands.
“I’m glad to be back here, it’s a great feeling,” said Carroll.
“Discussions started with the club six weeks ago so I have been just keeping myself fit and waiting to be ready to come in and train and hopefully sign the contract and I’ve done that now.
“I had been on the phone to the manager a couple of times, and he wanted me in the building a little earlier than this but I wanted to make sure I was fully fit and ready to go and be able to come straight in and be on the pitch.
“So I came in on Monday and have been here training since then and I feel great.”
Carroll made eight appearances for the Royals last season, scoring twice, and fostered a good connection with the club and the fans.
Two notable moments in 21/22 were when he had not one, but two, goal of the season contenders disallowed against Fulham for offside before his goal in the 3-2 win at Swansea City was celebrated with the iconic boat rowing celebration.
“I loved it the first time and I love walking back into the building and driving down here, it’s a brilliant place.
“Half the lads are still here and all the staff behind the scenes, it is a brilliant place to be, and I am delighted to sign back here.
“I made some great memories at the stadium and the training ground, celebrations, disallowed goals, I had a lot going on really.
“I worked hard and gave everything I had, like I will this time, the fans were absolutely fantastic with me, and the lads were brilliant”.
On returning to the club’s training ground, Bearwood Park, Carroll believes it is the ideal environment for him and his teammates to flourish in as he spoke of the atmosphere around the place.
“As soon as you walk in you can feel the warmth, it’s very together and that’s very much what I enjoyed the first time.
“You walk in it’s bright, it’s airy and everyone just loves being here.
“You do get a lot of places where it is, get in, get out, but I don’t think this is one of those places.
“It is a place you come in, you enjoy yourself, you do your work and you get something out of it.”
The striker is looking forward to getting his first minutes under Paul Ince and hopes to feature tomorrow at Wigan, before getting fully up to speed over the international break ahead of a busy schedule in October.
“That’s what I wanted to do, I wanted to work outside the club, to get myself as fit as I can so I can come in and fit straight in with the lads.
“I came in Monday morning and now I have trained all week and hopefully I can be involved at the weekend.
“I think the international break has come at the prefect time for me, there will be a lot of points to play for after it so I can get some more training in and get myself fully match fit.
“It is a big month coming up and hopefully we get a lot of points in it”.