West Ham's Ashton set to announce retirement

West Ham United striker Dean Ashton is set to announce his retirement, it has been revealed.

The Daily Mail says Ashton is set to call time on his injury-wrecked playing career and lodge a multi-million-pound insurance claim against the Football Association.

Ashton, who is set to quit professional football before his 26th birthday this month, is understood to have been told by two world-renowned ankle specialists his chances of making a full recovery are not good.

West Ham are expected to receive that verdict from leading Dutch surgeon Niek van Dyke, who has carried out previous operations on Ashton’s ankle, which he originally injured at his first England training session in August 2006.

Van Dyke is thought to believe that Ashton’s chronic injury problems originated from the England incident. As a result both club and player will reluctantly accept that the popular striker will hang up his boots before seeking the maximum compensation possible for a career-ending injury received on England duty.