Stoke City have been dealt a huge blow ahead of the new Premier League campaign after receiving news their captain Ryan Shawcross will miss the first two months of campaign through injury.
Mark Hughes’ side has announced the England defender will undergo back surgery to correct a long-standing problem and is not expected to be back until at least October.
The news will serve as a huge blow to Stoke, who only have three days to recover before they kick-off their season at home to Liverpool on Sunday. In fact, since the 2010/11 campaign, no player has successfully made more effective clearances in the Premier League (3,112)
For more stats on Ryan Shawcross, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
