West Ham striker Craig Bellamy will be out of action for at least four weeks.

The 29-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in the Irons' 5-3 pre-season friendly win at Ipswich Town on Monday.

The Wales captain has since had a scan on his injured right leg - and he is expected to be out of action for between four and six weeks.

As a result, Bellamy is likely to miss West Ham's opening three Premier League fixtures against Wigan, Manchester City and Blackburn, as well as the club's Carling Cup second round clash.

He will also be absent from Wales' friendly clash with Georgia on August 20 and struggling to be fit for his country's opening World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Russia in early September.

The forward made just nine first team appearances for the Hammers last season after suffering a persistent groin injury.

However, he had been looking in good form in pre-season, scoring five goals.

[Guardian-Series]

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