West Ham United manager Alan Pardew will be without striker Dean Ashton for the start of the new Barclays Premiership season.  The former Norwich hitman has broken his ankle in a training session with England following his inclusion in Steve McClaren’s first squad for the friendly with Greece.

The incident happened while England players trained at Old Trafford ahead of the Wednesday night fixture.

Ashton will be distraught that his opportunity to prove his doubters and Sven wrong has been so cruelly taken from him. His meteoric rise from the championship to the England first eleven was almost complete. Instead he has only got to look forward to is rehabilitation and competing for a place in the Hammers side.