West Ham United striker Carlton Cole's knee injury is threatening his World Cup hopes.

The Sunday Mirror says Cole injured the knee in November's 5-3 home win over Burnley and was expected to be sidelined for between six and eight weeks.

The Hammers' leading scorer has failed to figure since leaving the Premier League strugglers with a major crisis up front as they look to pull away from the relegation zone.

The news about Cole's degenerative condition is likely to raise serious concerns for Fabio Capello. The England coach is expected to name Cole in his provisional World Cup squad next May.

Capello can ill afford to gamble on the fitness of a player who will have to play a game every four days if England progress in the tournament.