Carroll undistracted by England talks

Andy Carroll is keeping his feet firmly on the ground amid speculation that he could receive a senior England call-up next week.

The 21-year-old has found himself the subject of reports that he could be drafted in by Fabio Capello for next month's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro with Emile Heskey having retired from international football, Wayne Rooney a doubt and Jermain Defoe and Bobby Zamora already ruled out through injury.

However, Carroll, who will hope to add to his four goals for the season at Manchester City on Sunday, said: "All I am focusing on is Manchester City and doing well for Newcastle United.

"It's a big game for us and one in which we are trying to bounce back from Stoke with a good result.

"We have got a good group here and we will be looking for our team-work to pay off on Sunday."

Carroll launched his Barclays Premier League campaign in earnest with a superb hat-trick in the Magpies' stunning 6-0 demolition of Aston Villa on August 22, and put himself at the top of the division's scoring stakes, albeit briefly, with an equaliser at Wolves the following weekend.

The goals have rather dried up since - he has not found the back of the net in his last three games - and manager Chris Hughton is confident addressing that situation will be his main objective this weekend rather than Monday's squad announcement.

He said: "One of Andy's qualities is he is a player who doesn't really have so much fear in his game.

"He wants to learn, he wants to develop and he is still a young man.

"We talk about the qualities he has, but he is also one who realises there are areas of his game he can improve, and that's a very good starting position.

"But if in any way Andy's name is being linked to the national team, it is testament to anything he has done for us."

Carroll, of course, faces a court appearance later this month to answer an assault charge, but he has been able to put that to one side during the opening weeks of the campaign.

Whether he gets the call from Capello or not, defender Mike Williamson is tipping him to make a significant impact at club level once again this season.

The 26-year-old said: "Since I have been here, he has gone from strength to strength.

"He proved last year he can be a prolific goalscorer in the second half of the season and he is relishing the chance to prove he can do that in the Premier League.

"His all-round play is also coming together. He is not just a goalscorer, he holds the ball up, he is a very good link-up player and he will only improve.

"He is only young and he has got a great, great future ahead of him."

Carroll scored 19 goals last season, all but two of them in the Championship, and 15 of them came following the turn of the year.

But while he forged his blossoming reputation in the lower division, there were still question marks over his ability to reproduce that form on the big stage, although his treble against Villa provided at least some of the answers.

Having trained against Carroll for the last nine months, Williamson knows all about his strengths, and is confident he is the genuine article.

He said: "He's a handful, especially in the air. He will give a torrid time to even the best defenders because sometimes, he is unplayable.

"There is nothing you can do against that sheer power and pace.

"But strikers are judged on their goalscoring ability, and I think that's where Andy is going to excel this year."