Gianfranco Zola celebrated a year in charge of West Ham United last week, but one of his strikers, Dean Ashton, will mark a more gloomy anniversary this week.

The player has not kicked a ball in anger since aggravating an ankle injury during the manager’s first training session and Zola admitted for the first time yesterday that he fears for Ashton’s playing future.

Despite two operations, Ashton is still not close to returning to training and the 25-year-old, who has essentially missed two of the past three seasons, has been working away from the training ground with John Green, the club’s former physiotherapist.

Ashton has four years remaining on a five-year contract that is understood to be worth £12 million, and the club are desperate for him to return as soon as possible given Zola’s limited attacking options.

“I am getting concerned about it,” Zola said. “I can’t say, ‘I’ll give you three months,’ I can’t force his progress along. We have not discussed [retirement].”

Ashton’s troubles stem back to when he broke an ankle in training the day before he was due to make his debut in Steve McClaren’s first match in charge of England, against Greece in August 2006. Problems with scar tissue delayed his return for more than a year and he then suffered a medial knee ligament injury.

“The problem he had was more serious than anybody thought,” Zola said. “It’s a bad injury and the ankle is a very delicate part of the body. According to everyone, he was one of the best players. He made my job much more difficult.

“I am very sorry for the boy and I imagine what he is going through and that he is suffering a lot. I wish that he will find his way forward as soon as possible. I have not interacted with him very much because he has been out.

“He knows that I want him very much and he is one of the players that if I had him on the pitch, the performances would have been better.”