Carlton Cole, the West Ham striker, is expected to be out for six weeks with the groin injury he aggravated on England duty.

Cole was carrying the injury before joining up with Fabio Capello's squad and had to be taken off at Wembley during the friendly win over Slovakia on Saturday.

"He will not need an operation but there is a problem between the muscle and the tendon in his groin," said the West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola. "He will be out for six weeks."