Is Ashton ready for England call-up?
Is West Ham striker Dean Ashton ready to be called up for the England team for their two upcoming Euro qualifiers? Well, England certainly need a striker at the moment, because with doubts about Owen and Heskey been ruled out they could do with calling Ashton up. My question is, has Ashton done enough so far this season to earn a starting place in the England side? I would be pretty certain that Ashton will be called up when McClaren's squad is announced on Friday but wheter or not he plays is a tricky one.
"He has forced his way in," said McClaren. "He certainly comes into consideration." McClaren is set to have both Crouch and Rooney at his disposal for the games against Estonia and Russia after they returned from suspension and injury respectively. There is no doubt that Ashton has looked very good for West Ham so far this season, scoring three in his last four games, but will McClaren start him or Crouch alongside Rooney. It was when Ashton got his first call-up for the England side, that he injured his ankle and missed the whole of last season, so he deserves a bit of luck this time.
Well I have a funny feeling he will start Crouch in the first game although he seldom plays for Liverpool, but that's just the type of thing McClaren would do. There is no doubt Ashton is better than Crouch overall and I think he thoroughly deserved the call-up (that's if it happens) and I for one thinks he deserves a starting role in both games. I mean how many matches has Crouch played this season? I do have to say one bad thing about Ashton... that ridiculous hair!