Newcastle ace: We must stop Nolan and Carroll

The duo both left the north-east club in controversial circumstances, the former in exchange for a staggering £35million from Liverpool and the latter after his hopes of securing a new long-term deal were dashed.

But while midfielder Nolan has gone from strength to strength at Upton Park, where he arrived in June last year, Carroll has joined him by a circuitous route.

The 23-year-old found himself surplus to requirements at Anfield in the wake of new manager Brendan Rodgers’ appointment and, having been linked with a move back to Newcastle, eventually joined the Hammers on loan for the season in August.

Nevertheless Santon believes Newcastle must stop them if they are to extend their five-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

The 21-year-old Italian said: “West Ham will be a difficult game. They have some good players.

“They have Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan, so we have to be careful.

“It is very important for us to win the game. We are only playing for a win.

“We have to stop them. We know they are coming here to score. However, we know we have a great defence here. We have a great team and we can stop them.”