Craig Bellamy’s injury a World Cup worry

Feb 12 2008 by Mark Bloom, South Wales Echo

WALES skipper Craig Bellamy faces a race against time in order to be fit for the start of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in September.

The Cardiff-born West Ham United striker will miss two friendlies before John Toshack’s men face Azerbaijan after suffering another significant injury which requires surgery – and he could miss the rest of the season.

The Wales forward is to undergo two procedures on a knee and his groin.

Bellamy has made only seven league starts for West Ham after his £7.5m summer transfer from Liverpool, while his absence is a desperate blow for the Hammers who also have Welsh centre back James Collins on their injury list.

Bellamy moved to London in the expectation of playing first-team football more regularly than he did at Anfield, but that has not been fulfilled.

The 28-year-old is not a stranger to injury, having suffered from a number of serious knee problems.

In 2003, during his ill-fated time at Newcastle United, he travelled to the United States to be operated on by Dr Richard Steadman, a move that he subsequently admitted saved his career.

He returned only recently from a long-term absence with an abdominal injury.