We can help you claim
compensation following an accident
illness or injury - nationwide
Call: 0800 10 757 95
After various newspapers reported this week that one-time England footballer Dean Ashton's ankle work injury will prevent him from ever again playing football, I was filled with a feeling of what I can only describe as sadness.
As a former Crewe season ticket-holder, I watched Ashton develop right from his debut as a teenager through to his first senior goal against Burnley.
Although Deano left us for Norwich City in 2005 for a £3 million transfer I wished him well, he'd scored 61 goals and showed real promise. I genuinely felt that he had the potential to become as good a goal-scoring target man as this country has produced in a long time: better even than Alan Shearer.
Ashton enjoyed am impressive spell in a struggling Norwich team before being transferred to West Ham for more than £7 million in 2006.
Although Ashton's career at West Ham has been made erratic by injury, he did make quite an impression with Hammers fans and even received a call-up into Fabio Capello's first England squad.
Ironically, it was while training with the England squad that Ashton received the ankle injury that now threatens to curtail his career.
It was Shaun Wright-Phillips, of all players (after all he is not noted for either his enthusiastic tackling or his bone-crunching physique) who made the tackle that is believed to have led to all Ashton's work injury problems.
I really am saddened; I looked forward to seeing the former Railwayman becoming recognised as one of the world's top centre forwards. Now it seems that I, like Ashton, might have to face up to the reality that he will have to retire at the age of 25 - long before he was ever to reach his peak.
I really felt that Ashton had it all - leviathan strength, balletic poise, superb technique, creative vision, and a tremendous standing leap - all the attributes to become as good as Marco Van Basten was in his heyday, but, in another cruel irony, it seems that he may have his career ended by the same injury that brought Van Basten down just as he was in his prime.
Although the reports are not confirmed, a number of newspapers have said that Ashton has been advised by a leading Dutch surgeon that retirement is the only option; if he plays, they say, he may risk never being able to walk again.
Various newspapers have also suggested that Ashton will seek to make a compensation claim for his work injury - I can only hope that the reports of his premature demise are... premature. Please, Deano, please don't let it be the end.