West Ham United FC

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Ashton boost for Hammers

19 Sep 2008 - 08:41:27

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West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has allayed fears that Dean Ashton could be out of action for a month after revealing that he expects the striker to resume training next week.

The injury-plagued England striker will miss Zola's first game in charge when the Hammers host Newcastle United at Upton Park on Saturday.

Ashton sprained his ankle during training earlier in the week and suggested he could be out of action until mid-October in his latest injury scare.

However, Zola expects his new club's two-goal top-scorer to be challenging for a starting place ahead of next weekend's trip to Fulham.

"Deano unfortunately won't be available this week. He will have to rest but he will be ready to start again next week," revealed the Italian coach.

"We will monitor his condition, but at the moment he needs one week to recover.

"He already had a problem and the ankle got sore when we were training so we had to stop him."

Meanwhile, Zola has been impressed with the enthusiasm from the players since he began working on the training ground as Alan Curbishley's successor this week.

"The training sessions have been spot on and all the players have been very committed," he continued.

"They have been very keen and full of enthusiasm, which is a very good indication for a manager.

"It is too early for me to tell you where we are going to get because I need to see them for a couple more weeks, but as long as they can keep this attitude they can go far."