BLACKBURN Rovers striker Craig Bellamy could be back in action by the end of the month after a scan on his injured knee revealed the problem is not as serious as first feared.

The 26-year-old forward, who limped out of Saturday's game with West Brom after just 13 minutes, had a high resolution scan in Leeds yesterday which confirmed he does not require surgery.

Bellamy was said to be 'distraught' on Saturday evening as he contemplated the thought of another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The former Newcastle star has been plagued by knee problems in the past, but yesterday's scan revealed there was no serious damage and he could be back in action in a fortnight's time.

Rovers' executive chairman, John Williams, said: "Thankfully, it's good news. The scan showed there were no major problems and Craig should be fine after a period of rest."

Yesterday's news meant Bellamy was forced to pull out of Wales's two World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan.

But he should be okay to resume training again in 10 days' time, once the swelling on his knee has gone down.

Meanwhile, Rovers defender Jay McEveley is contemplating crossing the great Anglo-Scottish divide in a bid to boost his international prospects.

The left-sided player, who is currently on loan at Ipswich, is ready to turn his back on England and consider playing for Scotland as he feels he has more chance of winning senior caps north of the border.

The 20-year-old said: "Being left footed should help as we are a rarity but the ones we have in this country tend to be the very best, like Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge, so it is tough for me looking ahead at the full England squad.

"Even if I was to move across to centre half England have half a dozen top quality of them so again I have to look at that.

"I have to weigh up my options of playing regular full international football and Scotland is a possibility.

"I'm not just looking at under 20 or under 21s, I'm looking at the full squad and I'm thinking, if I'm playing in the Premiership in a couple of years time and playing well, am I going to get ahead of Cole or Bridge?

"At the moment it doesn't look likely to me, so I have to consider the Scotland option."

McEveley made his Under 21 debut as an 18-year-old in a friendly between England and Italy, where he featured alongside the likes of Charlton striker Darren Bent, who is currently setting the Premiership alight.

But he's still free to switch allegiance, as Ryan Giggs did when he swapped England for Wales, as he has yet to play a competitive game for England at that level.

Although born in Liverpool, McEveley qualifies for Scotland through his paternal grandfather and the Scots have already shown a keen interest.

He revealed: "Graeme Souness was on about me playing for Scotland when I was 17. He told me that Bertie Vogts had been on the phone about me going to Scotland.

"I was just 17 then and had broken into the Blackburn team and thought I could carry on progressing with England. It was the right thing to do at the time and if I had been playing in regular England squads, I might have been in with a chance of the full squad but it seems a long way off."