Ashton Told to Retire

The Sunday Mirror say that Dean Ashton is set to announce his retirement from football. The paper claim Ashton has been told by a Dutch surgeon Niek van Dijk that he could end up wheelchair-bound if he carries on playing.

Ever since Ashton's so called Stoke transfer didn't materialise there have been rumours that he failed a medical with the club. The rumour claimed that West Ham had now decided he would never recover fully and were ready to just release the player.

The Mirror claim that West Ham are now in the process of lodging an insurance claim while negotiating a pay-off for Ashton.

The paper does not have any quotes from Ashton, his agent or West Ham to back up this claim. Although West Ham may want to keep this quiet until after the end of the transfer window.