'I used to play for Liverpool – now I get £16 easyJet flights through my best friend'

A former Liverpool striker who is playing in the fourth tier of French football has revealed that he gets discounted easyJet flights through his best friend, who is a pilot.

Andy Carroll earned a big-money move to Anfield in 2011 after impressing at Newcastle, where he developed a reputation as one of England’s best young strikers.

However, things never really worked out for him and he went on to join West Ham United, staying for seven years before returning to Newcastle. He also played for Reading and West Bromwich Albion in the EFL before moving to France.

Carroll is now at Bordeaux, who recently suffered an administrative relegation to the fourth tier due to financial problems. He is enjoying his new life in France but regularly flies back to England to visit his family.

While other players might prefer to travel on private jets, Carroll is happy to take the cheaper option. The 35-year-old uses his friendship with a pilot to buy easyJet flights at a heavily discounted price.

“My best friend is a pilot with easyJet, so I’m on staff travel and I get flights for 19 euros (£16),” he told The Times.

Carroll previously revealed that his move to Bordeaux was costing him money, telling RMC Sport that his decision to join the fallen giants of French football was not motivated by financial gain.

“To be honest, it’s even costing me money to come and play for Bordeaux, but I’m playing football and I am simply happy to be playing football,” he said.

“I want to be a part of this club’s history and to be frank, it wasn’t a question of money. In my career it’s never been a question of money.”

The former England striker is also renting a house in Bordeaux which costs more than his monthly salary. It was rumoured earlier this year that he was earning around £2,904 per month, but he told L’Equipe that he was actually being paid less than that.

Asked if the rumours were true, Carroll replied: “It’s a lot less than that. I won’t tell you the exact figure but to give you an idea, I rent a pretty little house and my salary is less than my rent. If I joined Bordeaux, it clearly wasn’t for the money.”

Carroll has made a flying start to life at Bordeaux with seven goals and one assist in just six league games. He will be hoping to maintain his prolific form over the coming months, with the club aiming to get back where they belong at the upper echelons of French football.