10 English talents who failed to live up to the hype

#9 Andy Carroll

The reason why Carroll features in the list is mainly due to the fact that he cost a then-record £35 million when he moved from Newcastle United to Liverpool in January 2011.

While the player was enjoying a good season at Tyneside and looked destined to have a bright career ahead, he will probably be the first to admit that he didn’t merit the record fee which created the unnecessary hype and put immense pressure on him to deliver at Liverpool. While he showed glimpses of his talent during his short stay at the club, he was unable to meet the expectations due to injuries and indifferent form.

New manager Brendan Rodgers deemed Carroll surplus to the club’s requirements and Liverpool sold Carroll to West Ham for a significant loss, where Carroll has struggled to make much of an impact largely due to injuries. But the 25-year-old Carroll has time on his side to prove his detractors wrong at club as well as international football.