A big, old-school English centre-forward with aerial power and a formidable left foot, Andy Carroll has struggled for much of his 18 months at Liverpool FC following an expensive transfer from Newcastle United FC but earned his UEFA EURO 2012 call-up with an impressive end to the 2011/12 campaign.

• Born in nearby Gateshead, Carroll joined the Magpies in July 2005 as a 16-year-old and made his debut as a substitute against US Città di Palermo in the UEFA Cup on 2 November 2006, becoming Newcastle's youngest European debutant.

• While on loan to then second-tier club Preston North End FC in the first half of the 2007/08 season he scored 15 minutes into his debut for England Under-19s in a 4-0 friendly victory against Belarus.

• Featured fleetingly (three goals in 14 appearances) as Newcastle were relegated from the Premier League in 2008/09 but proved integral to their immediate promotion the following campaign with 17 goals.

• Hit a hat-trick in a 6-0 win against Aston Villa FC in Newcastle's first home game of 2010/11, and also headed winners against West Ham United FC and Arsenal FC, form which prompted Liverpool to make him the most expensive British player of all time at €40.25m in January 2011.

• Made his senior international debut in a friendly against France at Wembley in November 2010 and scored on his second outing, a 1-1 draw with Ghana, four months later.