Ashton suffers broken ankle
Dean Ashton had been in line for a first full England cap
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Tuesday, 15, Aug 2006 10:28
West Ham striker Dean Ashton has broken his ankle on the eve of his first start for the full England team and will miss the start of the new Premiership season.
The 22-year-old forward had been in line to start against European champions Greece at Old Trafford tomorrow night but he broke down during this morning's training session.
He was subsequently sent to hospital for a scan on the ankle and the FA has now confirmed that the results have shown a break.
"Dean Ashton has been withdrawn from the England squad after a scan revealed he has a broken ankle," a statement from the FA said.
Steve McClaren has said Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe will now start up front for his first game in charge but he admitted losing Ashton is a major blow to his plans.
"The injury to Dean has really clouded the morning," McClaren said at the midday press conference. "It's always disappointing when a young player is injured.
"Dean would have started tomorrow - we did some work with him yesterday and were going to work on him again today.
"These things happen in football, though it's very disappointing and we are all very sorry to see it happen."
The injury has enraged Hammers boss Alan Pardew who will now be without his star striker for an as-yet-unconfirmed number of weeks of the season.
"We are absolutely devastated," Pardew said of the news. "It's a massive blow for Deano and his family, and for everybody here at West Ham United.
"We are extremely disappointed by the news but, on a positive note, we still have four quality strikers at this club, which will suppress the blow somewhat. We look forward to a speedy recovery from Deano and hope to see him back in action very soon."
Newcastle United received substantial compensation when their striker Michael Owen broke down on international duty at this summer's World Cup and Pardew will be expecting similar treatment.
Ashton's loss will be Tottenham forward Defoe's gain as he looks to re-establish himself after being controversially omitted from Sven-Goran Eriksson's final World Cup squad.