New Zola blow as Ashton is told he needs ankle op

West Ham's problems continued to mount this morning when striker Dean Ashton was ruled out for at least a month after being told he needs an ankle operation.

The England international will go under the knife next week and will be unavailable for five Premier League fixtures, starting at Fulham tomorrow, and England's World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Belarus.

The club said: "Dean Ashton will undergo arthroscopic surgery to his left ankle next week to help assess the extent of his injury."

Ashton has already had to sit out last weekend's 3-1 Premier League win over Newcastle and the midweek Carling Cup defeat at Watford since suffering the original injury in training.

News of the surgery will be a blow for new West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola, who is yet to see the striker play, but he is hoping the set-back could be eased slightly today if Craig Bellamy proves he has recovered from a groin injury in time to play against Fulham.

The Welsh striker has made just one appearance this season, scoring off the bench in the 4-1 home win against Blackburn.

Away from the pitch, the Carlos Tevez compensation fall-out continued today with reports that at least 10 players who were relegated with Sheffield United are considering launching their own legal action against the Hammers.

The players, who have suffered financially as a result of Sheffield United being relegated to the Championship in May 2007, have opened discussions with sports lawyer Chris Farnell with the intention of launching their own compensation claim. The players would have received a collective bonus payment of £1m if they had survived the drop and there could also be a claim for millions in lost earnings, with their wages dropping by as much as 50 per cent after relegation.

Farnell told the Daily Mail: "I've been contacted by players with a view to looking at this claim."
Yesterday the Hammers were told that plans to appeal against the £30m they may have to pay Sheffield United over the Tevez ruling would probably fall on stoney ground but today they insisted they would press on with their plea to the Court of Arbitratrion for Sport.

The Upton Park club believe their appeal will still be valid despite the speculation that both parties must agree to the appeal before it is considered.

West Ham have employed former Manchester United legal expert Maurice Watkins to spearhead their legal battle.