Initially it looked as though he was left out of the UEFA Cup squad to give him extra time to recover from his international exertions, but Sir Bobby is already talking in terms of how many games he will miss rather than him being fit to face Middlesbrough.
"Craig Bellamy is not travelling because he has an injury and we've left him at home,” Sir Bobby told the Evening Chronicle.
"We have to look at the situation very closely. He has been sent for a scan and it's the same knee he injured earlier in the season. We will compare the knee to how it was when he complained about it last time.
"He complained bitterly about it in August but he recovered from it and said he had never felt better.
"We've decided to get a scan and we will then be able to make an assessment. It is too early to say how many games he will miss."