West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola believes Dean Ashton would have been challenging for a place in the England World Cup squad had the player not been forced to announce his retirement on Friday through injury. The 26-year-old striker made only one appearance for the Three Lions, a friendly clash with Trinidad & Tobago in June 2008, and Zola is confident he would have added to that tally if he had made a full recovery.

"Everybody knows how skilful Dean was as a player, and to have a goalscorer like that in your side makes a big difference," said Zola.

The Italian found his own decision to retire in June 2005 one of the toughest he has ever faced and is full of sympathy for Ashton.

He added: "I can only imagine what Dean is going through. It was painful for me when I retired and I was 39, he is only 26. Football is something that we do with a lot of passion, with all our heart, so you can't imagine what he is feeling."

The Hammers manager admitted Ashton would be a very hard player to replace but confirmed the search would begin once the transfer window re-opens in January:

"He would have made a big difference to our side, but we have five or six games to play now before January and then we will have to consider bringing someone in."

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