West Ham striker Carlton Cole won t need surgery on his injured knee, but is likely to be out of action for around two months. The England international was sent to see a specialist on Tuesday for a scan on his knee to see what damage had been done to his

West Ham striker Carlton Cole won't need surgery on his injured knee, but is likely to be out of action for around two months.

The England international was sent to see a specialist on Tuesday for a scan on his knee to see what damage had been done to his cartilage and whether he needed it operated on, which could have ruled him out for the season.

Thankfully that is not the case and Hammers fans will be pleased that the injury is not as serious as reported by some media outlets on Wednesday.

The former Chelsea man injured his knee in last Saturday's match with Burnley after a nasty collision with Clarets stopper Brian Jensen and was replaced at half-time by Zavon Hines.

Cole has been a consistent performer for the Hammers this season and is top scorer at Upton Park with seven league goals to his name, including a penalty he scored against the Clarets.

His absence will leave manager Gianfranco Zola fretting about who to partner with in-form Mexican Guillermo Franco up front for the visit of the champions.

Matt Upson is also out of this Saturday's game with Manchester United after failing to recover from a hamstring injury that prevented him taking part in the home game against Burnley last Saturday, although he should recover in time for the trip to Birmingham next week.

There was further bad news coming out of the Boleyn Ground when it was revealed that hard-working midfielder Valon Behrami probably won't make a return until at least the Chelsea game on Sunday, December 20.

The striker picked up a new knee injury and will undergo key-hole surgery to try and correct the cartilage problem.

Italian forward Alessandro Diamanti, however, should be available for Saturday after recovering from a hip injury picked up in training, while Kieron Dyer could also make a return after playing 68 minutes for the reserves on Monday night.

By Matt Diner