Carlton Cole says West Ham United teammate Andy Carroll has plenty of room for improvement.

Carroll has nine England caps but Cole reckons he is still learning and will continue to improve in the coming years.

"With Andy he's a brilliant player, I knew he was a brilliant player before he came here," he said.

"He just needs the right break and once he gets going - I know he's only 23 at the moment - but the funny thing about the striker role, or the one we play, is that it takes a long time to learn.

"For Andy to have that skill so young is a real blessing for him because I had to mould myself into that player.

"But he has it naturally, so he just needs to get a few more games. You'll see the best of Andy Carroll when he's 29 or 30, but right now he's still learning his trade."