Dean Ashton believes he would have moved to a Premier League giant from West Ham United

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Ashton retired at the age of just 26, with his career heading towards it’s peak.

Former West Ham United striker Dean Ashton has told talkSPORT that he believes he would have earned a move to one of England’s biggest clubs had his career not been wrecked by injury.

Ashton had evolved into one of the complete forwards in the Premier League during an impressive spell at Upton Park, with his natural physicality and aerial prowess complemented by his striking technique and eye for the spectacular.

However, the one-time England international is remembered as much for his relentless series of debilitating injuries as much as his number of memorable strikes, including a brilliant long range header against Everton and a spectacular overhead kick versus Manchester United.

The former Crewe youth product who, at 33-years-old would still probably be playing at the top level now, missed the entirety of the 2006/07 season after breaking his ankle on international duty and retired just three years later.

And Ashton believes his natural goalscoring ability and all-round game means he would have been headhunted by one of the largest clubs in the division.

“I don’t see why [a massive club would not have tried to sign me] because I had a something a bit different,” Ashton told Jim White on talkSPORT, broadcast at 10am on 5^th December. “Because I could match it physically but I could play.

“That Crewe background gave me that technique to go a bit higher. And, recently, if you’re a striker who could score goals then you get a big move.”

There is little doubt Ashton would have added to his single England cap if injuries had not forced him into premature retirement, and the talented forward admits that he still misses the game although he is thankful that he does not have to go through to daily struggle that many injury-hit former pros endure.

“Every day [I miss it]. Because there’s football on all the time, I am always thinking ‘I could be playing’, ‘I should be playing’,” Ashton adds.

“I love the game but the one great thing is that, after the operation, I don’t have any pain. I see loads of players in a hell of a lot of trouble but I have not got one bit of pain since I’ve finished.”