CHRIS Hughton has revealed Andy Carroll is available for Saturday’s trip to West Ham United despite the troubled striker’s off-the-field problems.

The 21-year-old was arrested on Sunday morning and charged with assaulting an ex-girlfriend. He appeared in Tynedale Magistrates Court in Hexham, Northumberland, on Monday afternoon.

The case was adjourned until January 10, with the Gateshead-born striker being granted conditional bail to live with Magpies’ captain Kevin Nolan for the next three months.

Prior to the incident, Carroll has struggled to find form in recent weeks and was subsequently dropped for the loss at Manchester City, although he returned to the starting XI for last weekend’s 2-2 draw with Wigan Athletic.

As he prepares to take his squad south for Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off, Hughton intimated his No 9 is in the right state of mind to play and insisted his team selection will be based purely on footballing reasons.

“I think he is in the right state of mind to play, knowing his personality as I do. He is in the right frame of mind to play on Saturday,” Hughton revealed.

“I have got decisions to make regarding the squad but all those decisions will be made solely on footballing reasons.

“He is available. As a manager of this football club it is our responsibility to give him all the support he needs and my thoughts are very much on football matters and the squad that I will pick for a tough game away at West Ham.

“I have spoken to him. He has been training very well.

My responsibility as manager is to have a relationship with all the players, not just him.

He certainly will be no different to anybody else.

“His personality is all about concentrating on his football and training as best he can. As a footballer, I can only speak as I find him every day in training.

“He is player who is very committed to his training. He is a player who wants to do well. He is a strong willed player who has a determination to do well on the football pitch.

“These are the factors which not so long ago people were talking about his possible involvement with England.

The only factors that have got him to that stage and that level are for what he has shown on the football pitch.”

Sunday’s incident involving the England Under-21 was not the first off-the-field event the club have had to deal with as the forward was alleged to have had an altercation with Steven Taylor last season.

Hughton insists the club will support the player but admitted he must learn from his mistakes.

“I think with everything you have to learn by your mistakes,”

Hughton said.

“You have to learn and he is no different in that respect to anyone else. All individuals are different but these are issues we have to deal with.

Every manger would say that, whatever the problems are.

“You look at the Wayne Rooney situation at Manchester United.

“It is a massive one for the club and the manager to deal with. There are always going to be these issues.

“The most important thing is to give him the support and the guidance that he needs and he continues to keep doing what he does right on the training pitch and in matches.

“He is easy to manage. I think we are all aware there have been other issues with him. That is part and parcel of the things we have to deal with as a club.

“He is not the only individual you can say that about. It is a challenge week in, week out that you have to deal with and this is another case of something which has to be deal with in the best way we possibly can.

“Where we are is in an environment where the game has changed because everything is highlighted more than ever before.

“That is the world we live in and that very much affects football.

“Headlines are the things that we have to deal with and we have to deal with it both as a manager and as a player. I will always do the best I can to deal with these situations that arise.”