Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has revealed that captain Ryan Shawcross is close to returning to action following his time on the sidelines with a back injury.
The 28-year-old has not played for the Potters this season after undergoing an operation on the problem in August.
Hughes has admitted that Shawcross could be in line for a return to first-team action after the international break when his side face Swansea City on October 19.
He told reporters: "There's no reason to think he'll get any reaction now, so ideally we'll try to get him a game against somebody or between ourselves.
"When everybody comes back from international duty, he shouldn't be far off being in my thoughts to play. He just needs a good run now. He hasn't had that many sessions with groups.
"As long as he doesn't have any adverse reaction, the natural progression is to give him game time. He's not far away from that. If it's not next week, it will certainly be the week after."
Stoke face Aston Villa in their Premier League clash later today.
Simon Sinclair
