By Julian Shea

Ashton is keen to remind West Ham fans of his ability

West Ham striker Dean Ashton says he will be fitter and stronger than ever when he returns next season after a year out with a broken ankle.

Ashton, 23, missed last season after being injured in training on his first call-up to the England team and said he felt he had to make up for lost time.

"I can definitely say by the start of the season I'll be the strongest and fittest I've ever been," he said.

"I want to prove I'm not the forgotten man - I'm still the player I was."

Interview: West Ham striker Dean Ashton

Ashton became West Ham's record signing when he joined from Norwich in a deal worth �7.25m in January 2006.

His goals earned them a place in the FA Cup final and Uefa Cup, and also a call-up to the England squad for the friendly against Greece in August 2006.

But what should have been the high point of his career so far turned into a nightmare as he broke his ankle in training.

He missed the whole of the Hammers' dramatic 2006-07 season and battle against relegation, and has yet to kick a ball in anger under manager Alan Curbishley.

Coming to watch games was hard, because people kept asking when I'd be back and I couldn't tell them

"After my operations, I had a good time at home sitting there with my leg up so I'm more than happy to work all through to pre-season," he said.

"I could start doing ball work but that's not the point, it's just about building up my basic fitness so it's a case of running hard every day.

"My brain hasn't got tired or hurt, it takes time to adjust but after a few games I'll feel good.

"It's hard to get back to full fitness from nothing so I'm enjoying it at the moment - it's nice just to be outside doing some work."

Ashton said watching from the sidelines while the club battled to avoid relegation had been a frustrating experience.

"Coming to watch games was hard, because people kept asking when I'd be back and I couldn't tell them," he said.

"Terry Venables, Steve McClaren and some of the players rang me to give me a lift which was good but other than that it's just one of those things where you've got to deal with it yourself and believe you'll be back."

But Ashton said he drew inspiration from the example of fellow England striker Michael Owen, who made a scoring return against Estonia after almost a year out with a knee ligament injury.

And if he manages to prove his worth at West Ham, then Ashton is keen to earn another chance in an England shirt.

"Michael doesn't look like he's had the injury he had, which is a credit to him and to physio John Green, who I'm working with now.