West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce was delighted with Andy Carroll's return on Saturday.
Carroll's appearance in the draw with Aston Villa was his first of the season.
Allardyce told whufc.com: "He's still five or six games away from being fully fit. It's pre-season for him really, so we'll gradually increase his pitch time and see how he copes and how quickly he recovers.
"We need to be careful that we don't rush him back too quickly because we don't want to risk him getting injured again. Thankfully our squad is working well at the moment and that gives me the freedom to slowly work him back into the side. We'll take each week as it comes and go by a game by game basis.
"It's great to see him back out there. He loves playing football so to be out for such a long period was very frustrating for him. He's worked incredibly hard to get back fit and he's back ahead of schedule, which is excellent.
"It also goes to show his desire and hunger to play football. I think he demonstrated that in the few minutes he was on. We also have Coley fit and looking good. Valencia and Sakho are looking better and better as a partnership the more they play together."
