Ashton's retirement prompts injury claim

West Ham football club is set to make a £7m insurance claim in expectation of injury-plagued striker Dean Ashton announcing his retirement.

The 25-year-old star tore his ankle ligaments during an England training session in 2006.

West Ham is thought to have insured the striker for up to £7m and could lodge an insurance claim against the Football Association (FA).

SBJ is reported to be the broker responsible for handling the claim.

The insurance claim could be a complex one, given that Ashton recovered from the injury – which caused him to miss a whole season – well enough to make a handful of appearances for West Ham and play for England against Trinidad at the end of the 2007/08 season.

The FA is understood to have beefed up its insurance policy following the 2006 World Cup injury of Michael Owen.

Both the FA and SBJ declined to comment.

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