News from the bet365 Stadium as Stoke City prepare for mid-week trip to Swansea in the Championship
Ryan Mmaee will miss the remainder of the season for Stoke City after sustaining a hamstring injury during his comeback to the starting lineup.
The 26-year-old striker has worked his way back into Stoke’s first squad in recent weeks, and he made his first home start since January on Saturday, a 2-2 draw against West Bromwich Albion. He impressed with his link-up play in a game when Stoke created plenty of opportunities, but limped off in the second half.
Scans have already revealed the extent of the damage, and he is poised for an extended time in the treatment room, missing the remaining five matches of the season as Stoke look for the last few points to secure their championship status. Ben Pearson and Lynden Gooch are also slated to miss the majority of the remainder of the season due to hamstring ailments.
Steven Schumacher stated in his pre-match news conference ahead of a game at Swansea on Wednesday night: “Ryan Mmaee came off with a hamstring problem (on Saturday) and will not be available. His scan results were not good, therefore he will be out till next season. That’s disappointing since I was happy for Ryan. It has not been easy since we joined the club in December. He returned to the team, the squad, and looked good, but he has picked up a niggle that will keep him out. That is somewhat disappointing.
“The other two players we had concerns with (late Saturday), Jordan Thompson and Million Manhoef, are alright. It was only a little weariness for both of them, but they’re good; they trained yesterday.”
He continued, “Ryan’s a good player; we’ve never doubted that. He is a different type of striker from what we now have. He’s good at building up strength and physicality. He could score more goals. I’m sure he wanted to score more goals and play in more advanced positions this season, but he was performing great when he returned to the squad; he looked sharp, nice, and fit, but he’s injured, so someone else will get the opportunity.
