English hockey star Ashley Jackson to miss upcoming TriFinance EuroHockey Championships

England men’s hockey star Ashley Jackson will miss the upcoming TriFinance EuroHockey Championships beginning in Boom, Belgium from August 17-25.

The crafty midfielder, who also doubles up as a forward, underwent surgery on his ankle which has been troubling him for a long time.

It is learnt that the 25-year-old highly talented hockey player had the choice to pick one tournament – the second men’s Hockey World League Round 3 event in Johor Bahru or the TriFinance EuroHockey Championships as his ankle wasn’t looking like standing up to the rigours of both the events. Jackson accorded due importance to the Johor Bahru event as England needed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup – which they successfully did along with Germany and Argentina.

He did not play in the latter part of the Johor Bahru event on account of the troubling ankle.

Jackson, who has played 151 internationals, will be missed by England in the upcoming TriFinance EuroHockey Championships, where they will have to compete with the likes of Germany and the Netherlands, not to speak of teams like Belgium and Spain.

Jackson, who represented his country in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as at the 2012 London Olympics, is expected to be back in the national fold for the Hockey World League finals to be held in December this year.

He made his senior international debut in 2007 and was named the FIH Young Player of the Year in 2009. Jackson was also twice named in the FIH All Stars XI.

The mercurial medio, who was instrumental in Ranchi Rhinos winning the inaugural Hero Hockey World League crown earlier this year, is hugely popular in England and even earned the sobriquet ‘David Beckham of hockey’.

Indian hockey fans will be keeping fingers crossed about Jackson participating in the second Hero Hockey India League – defending champions Ranchi Rhinos will at all times want to have him in their side for the 2014 edition as they seek to defend their crown.