letest  news update: Stoke City’s injury issue has left  with only two healthy defenders ahead of….

October 4, 2023 admin Stoke City 0

Ben Wilmot left the bet365 Stadium on crutches and Ki-Jana Hoever is awaiting further assessment as Stoke City’s incredible injury woes continued against Southampton.

Alex Neil went into the mid-week game – a sixth fixture in 18 days – without eight players including six probable starters after a succession of major blows through the opening few weeks of the season. And a stretcher was then summoned for centre-back Wilmot when he crashed into a post while Hoever limped off in the closing stages.

That led to a makeshift defence of Mehdi Leris – who had started the night at centre-forward – at right-back, midfielder Jordan Thompson at left-back, right-back Junior Tchamadeu – making his first Stoke start, as left-back – joined recalled Luke McNally at centre-half.

Centre-back Michael Rose (groin), left-back Enda Stevens (calf) and right-back Lynden Gooch (hamstring) were already on the sidelines and Stoke are hoping at least one of Rose or Gooch, who had both limped out of last weekend’s win at Bristol City, will be declared fit for Leicester City away on Saturday.

Lewis Baker and Emre Tezgel were laid low by serious knee and quad injuries in pre-season and they have seen the treatment room gradually fill up around them. Ryan Mmaee, Andre Vidigal and Tyrese Campbell, which could well be Stoke’s first choice front line, are all injured. Mmaee (hamstring) has missed seven-and-a-half matches, Vidigal has only played about 80 minutes in the last eight matches after taking a crunch on his ankle at Millwall in late August. Campbell sustained an injury associated with his hamstring in the early stages of a clash with Hull on September 27 and is probably still out for another couple of months.

Neil said: “We had six players missing (as well as Baker and Tezgel). We’ve got a whole frontline of Campbell, Mmaee and Vidigal unavailable. Enda Stevens, a natural left-back with a good left foot, is out. Gooch and Rose are missing, we lose Ben then we lose Ki-Jana. Yes, it’s challenging.

Stoke have explored the free agent market to boost numbers in certain areas but deals have looked unlikely since they weren’t done in the week after deadline day. It remains to be seen if they look down that avenue again in the light of the current queue to see the physios.

However Neil said: “There is scope to bring in a free agent but if you bring in a free agent now they won’t be ready for a month so it doesn’t help our short-term problem.

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