Source: Daily_Mail
West Ham's Dean Ashton forced to retire from football at just 26
Unhappy birthday: Aston turned 26 three weeks ago[LNB]Just three weeks after his 26th birthday, the dream is finally over for Dean Ashton. The West Ham striker announced his retirement from football after failing to recover from the ankle injury he sustained during his first England call up in August 2006.[LNB]There was a sense of inevitability about Ashton's decision to call time on a career that had so much potential that was never quite fulfilled, yet that didn' t make yesterday's statement any less poignant.[LNB]Ashton's retirement is a chilling reminder of the dark side of the footballer's dream.[LNB]Alan Pardew, who signed Ashton for West Ham in a club record £7.25m deal, said yesterday: 'It's a very sad day for Dean. He was some striker, a real centre forward.'[LNB]Pardew, now Southampton manager, added: 'When he came to West Ham, he wasn't in the best phsyical shape, but he worked hard, got himself fit and then almost won the FA Cup Final for us against Liverpool.[LNB]'We then signed Carlos Tevez to play with Dean, but they didn't play together once. It was a real blow, because he was injured on England duty and then we had a difficult season.[LNB] Record signing: Aston moved to West Ham in a £7.25m deal from Norwich City[LNB]'I always felt, if Dean had stayed fit, I would have stayed at West Ham. I'm sorry it's come to this, because I had a lot of time for him. He had a lot of quality about him.'[LNB]Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: 'It is sad, but in our job you depend on your health. The first quality of a good football player is that he has good health and we forget that many times.'[LNB]A career that began under Dario Gradi at Crewe Alexandra in 2000 and developed as a £3million record signing at Norwich City should have blossomed at West Ham.[LNB]Gradi said yesterday that Ashton was the best finisher he ever worked with, adding: 'It's a shame for him and a shame for England. He's the best of the goal-takers of the strikers around.'[LNB] Treatment: Ashton worked tirelessly with physio John Green at West Ham[LNB]Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp described him as 'a good player, terrific striker, It's really sad to see a young guy retire so early.'[LNB]Ashton scored six times in 16 appearances for Alan Pardew's West Ham, including his club's second goal in the 2006 FA Cup Final against Liverpool, and was rewarded with an England call-up in Steve McClaren's first squad that August.[LNB]McClaren's session on Tuesday August 14 2006 at Manchester United's Carrington training ground was centred on Ashton, who was due to start in the friendly against Greece at Old Trafford the following day, but a challenge from Shaun Wright-Phillips, then at Chelsea, resulted in Ashton breaking his left ankle.[LNB]Reports suggesting Ashton is planning to sue Chelsea and Wright-Phillips, now at Manchester City, certainly came as a surprise to West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola.[LNB] International class: The Hammer (right) earned his sole England cap against Trinidad and Tobago[LNB]He said: 'He was playing for England but it could have happened at any time. There is no time for regrets or blaming anyone. It seems strange. I don't think he might want to do something like that.' [LNB]But the fall-out from Ashton's retirement does not end there. The player, who signed a new five-year contract with West Ham in June 2008, can expect a pay-off of around £3million, equivalent to one year's salary.[LNB]West Ham are also pursuing a £7million compensation claim with the FA's insurance company at the time of the incident. [LNB]After missing the whole of the 2006-07 season, Ashton managed to make 35 appearances and score 11 goals for West Ham the following season, which culminated in his only England cap in the 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago in June 2008.[LNB] 'Best finisher': Ashton scored a raft of sumptuous goals, including this bicycle kick against Manchester United[LNB]But after scoring both goals in West Ham's 2-1 win over Wigan on the opening day of the 2008-09 season, Ashton twisted his ankle in Zola's first training session in September last year. He would never play for West Ham again.[LNB]Zola said: 'I had him training only for one day and that is sad for me. If he'd not had the injury it is probable he would have been going to the World Cup. Everybody knows how skilful he is.[LNB]'He tried everything before he said 'I can't make it'. Football is important to him. [LNB]'It was painful for me when I retired and I was 39 so you can imagine what it can be for him when he is 26. [LNB]'He will miss the joy of going out there and running and chasing after that ball. That makes you feel so good. [LNB]'Also sharing with the other players something in common, working together to achieve something. That is priceless. He will miss that a lot.'[LNB]How many games could Ashton have played for England? What could he have achieved in the game? Sadly, of course, we will never know.[LNB] Gianfranco Zola's West Ham dream in tatters after Dean Ashton retirement... and boss faces uphill battle to sign replacement striker in January West Ham striker Dean Ashton retires aged 26 and weighs up Chelsea and FA injury compensation claims Dean Ashton legal action against Shaun Wright-Phillips unnecessary, hopes PFA chief Gordon TaylorALL THE WEST HAM UNITED
