West Ham United FC

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Ashton facing further lay-off

26 Dec 2008 - 11:07:32

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West Ham United's injury-jinxed striker Dean Ashton could miss most of the rest of the season as he continues to be troubled by ankle problems.

The 25-year-old has not featured for the Hammers since mid-September and has been forced to go under the knife to try and correct his ankle injury.

Irons manager Gianfranco Zola revealed: "He had an operation and we'll wait a couple of months before we can assess him.

"He is progressing very well. These things are down to the subject, how he reacts and improves.

"I don't think we'll have him in January or February, but I hope soon.

"He is due to start running on the treadmill and doing rehab with a personal physio. I spoke to him a couple of days ago and he's happy with the progress.

"I can't say whether he'll be back in March, April or February, it depends how he progresses. I don't know honestly, it is impossible to say so soon.

"He had something causing problems with the cartilage in his ankle, but because of his previous injuries it couldn't be a quick thing because they don't want to do any more damage."