West Ham United will be forced to plan for the rest of the season without Craig Bellamy as the striker has been told he needs two operations, reports The Guardian.

The loss of Bellamy, who requires surgery on his knee and groin, is another setback for West Ham's boss, Alan Curbishley. It is another cruel blow for Bellamy who has managed only nine appearances for the Hammers since a £7.5m move from Liverpool last July because of injury, a move he made chiefly because he wanted to play regular first-team football.

The Welshman has regularly suffered with knee problems and needed a career-saving operation by the renowned American surgeon, Dr Richard Steadman, to repair ligament damage when he was at Newcastle in 2003.

The injury is not believed to be that serious this time, although it will be the source of considerable frustration for the player.

The 28-year-old had only recently returned from a four-month lay off with an abdominal injury but was left out of the squad against Birmingham and is expected to have his first operation this week.