Curbs vows to keep Ashton
11 May 2008 - 10:33:31
West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley has rubbished rumours suggesting that striker Dean Ashton could be allowed to leave the club in the summer.
The 25-year-old has been linked with interest from Manchester United, but Curbishley is desperate to keep hold of Ashton, who has suffered a series of injury problems since moving to Upton Park in early 2006.
"Every club outside the top four has this problem every summer," Curbishley admitted. "Even Spurs and people like that are going to come under pressure.
"But since the new group took over West Ham we have tried to push forward and I don't see selling players as a way of pushing forward.
"The people who left last summer asked to go and we wanted to have a change around.
"I want to see certain combinations of players that I haven't had a chance to see. I want to play Craig Bellamy with Dean Ashton."
Ashton has scored 16 goals in 50 appearances for the Irons to date.