FORMER Newcastle United player Andy Carroll has been interviewed by police in Ireland after a photographer was allegedly assaulted.

The West Ham striker was with team-mates in Dublin for a weekend Christmas party after beating Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.

Carroll, 23, denies any wrongdoing.

A spokesman for the Garda press office in Dublin said officers received a report of an incident at 2.30am yesterday.

A press photographer claimed he had been assaulted in the capital’s main shopping district, Grafton Street.

Officers at the city’s Pearse Street station are investigating the incident.

It is understood members of the West Ham football team were spoken to by gardai following reports of an assault.

No arrests were made, the Garda spokesman said.

A West Ham spokesman denied that Carroll had been involved in a physical confrontation with a photographer.

“Andy Carroll was in Dublin as part of a social trip with full permission of the management team,” the club said.

“Andy agreed to have a number of pictures taken at the request of a photographer who was waiting on the street. Despite this, the photographer then carried on taking photos in the close proximity of Andy and was politely asked to stop by the private security team working on the trip.

“When he then continued taking more photos he was restrained by the security team for Andy’s safety.

“Eyewitnesses state at no point was there any physical contact between Andy and the photographer.”

West Ham confirmed that gardai took a number of statements from the group at the hotel.