A surge of serious injuries to key players, including Ben Wilmot and Ki-Jana Hoever, are being managed by Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium.
Following a string of significant setbacks in the first few weeks of the season, Alex Neil entered the midweek game, the sixth in 18 days, without eight players, including six likely starters. When Wilmot collided with a post and hobbled off in the dying moments, a stretcher was subsequently called for the centre back.
In response, Mehdi Leris, who had started the game as a centre forward, moved to right back, Jordan Thompson, a midfielder, to left back, Junior Tchamadeu, a right back making his first Stoke start at left back, and Luke McNally, who had been called up, to centre half.
Michael Rose at centre back, Enda Stevens on the left (calf), and Lynden Gooch on the right (hamstring) were already on the sidelines. Stoke is hoping that at least one of Rose or Gooch, who both hobbled out of last weekend’s victory at Bristol City, will be deemed fit for Saturday’s away game against Leicester City.
When Lewis Baker and Emre Tezgel suffered severe knee and quad injuries in the preseason, the treatment room slowly began to fill up around them. The front line that Stoke may have selected in the first place, consisting of Ryan Mmaee, Andre Vidigal, and Tyrese Campbell, is all injured. Mmaee (hamstring) has missed seven and a half games, and Vidigal, who had an ankle injury against Millwall in late August, has only played roughly 80 minutes in the last eight games. On September 27, during the opening moments of a game against Hull, Campbell suffered a hamstring injury that will likely keep him out for a few more months.
In addition to Baker and Tezgel, Neil noted that we were missing six more guys. Campbell, Mmaee, and Vidigal make up our entire frontline but are not available. Natural left-back Enda Stevens, who has a strong left foot, is out. We lose Ben first, then Ki-Jana, and Gooch and Rose are missing. Yes, it is difficult.
Stoke has looked into the free agency market to increase their numbers in specific positions, but as no deals were completed in the week after deadline day, they have appeared doubtful. In view of the existing backlog to see the physios, it is unclear if they will take another look at that route.
However, Neil responded: “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.”
