Stoke City suffer frustrating player blow ahead of Norwich City clash | OneFootball

An early Stoke City injury update has been given ahead of their clash with Norwich City this weekend

Stoke City have suffered an injury blow ahead of this week’s upcoming clash with Norwich City.

According to the Stoke Sentinel, Sam Gallagher is expected to be unavailable for selection this weekend when the Championship returns to action from the international break.

The forward joined the Potters over the summer, and has only recently recovered from a calf injury suffered during pre-season to make his first three appearances for the club (all stats from Fbref).

He scored his first goal for the club in a 6-1 win over Portsmouth earlier this month, also contributing an assist in that victory.

But it’s unlikely he will feature when Stoke return to action this weekend due to a hamstring injury.

Sam Gallagher injury update

Gallagher limped off in the team’s 0-0 draw against Swansea City prior to the break, which led to fears that he’d suffered yet another injury issue.

Those fears have become reality, with the 29-year-old set to be absent this weekend for their home clash against the Canaries.

Gallagher will reportedly undergo scans to see the full extent of the injury before any kind of recovery timeline is revealed.

A hamstring issue could keep him out for weeks or months, depending on the severity, but it remains uncertain heading into this weekend just how long he could be out for.

This comes as a blow to Narcís Pelach, as Gallagher has been an important part of his start to life as manager of the Championship club.

The Spanish coach has started the forward in two of his four games as manager so far, having been appointed in September as a replacement to Steven Schumacher.

Pelach has overseen one win, one draw and two defeats during his time with the Potters so far, with the team sitting 17th in the Championship table.

Stoke City injury latest ahead of Norwich clash

Stoke have received some positive injury news coming into this weekend’s clash with Norwich, with Lynden Gooch’s absence set to be shorter than initially feared.

While he will still miss this weekend’s game, it is hoped he could make a return in November.

Meanwhile, Bosun Lawal is nearing a return to training as he awaits his first appearance for the club since his switch from Celtic in the summer, while Ben Pearson has reportedly suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury, meaning his comeback has been delayed beyond November.

Stoke host Norwich in a 3pm kick-off on 19 October.

Gallagher injury concern is a blow for Stoke

Gallagher has made a positive start to life at Stoke in terms of his performance in his first three appearances.

However, it has been disappointing for supporters that he’s only been available for three games at this stage of the campaign.

A further injury setback comes as a blow to Pelach’s side, and the manager will be hoping that it is not too serious of an issue.

Pearson hasn’t played since March due to his hamstring issue, showing the potential absence Gallagher could face if serious damage has been done.