Wednesday 6 April 2016 17:22, UK
Stoke City have been handed a boost after Ryan Shawcross and Xherdan Shaqiri returned to full first-team training after injury lay-offs.
Potters boss Mark Hughes will be pleased to see the two key players back in contention ahead of their difficult journey to Anfield to play Liverpool on Sunday.
Centre-back Shawcross sustained a back injury in Stoke's 2-1 defeat to Southampton last month and missed the games against Watford and Swansea.
"We've had a good couple of days on the training ground," assistant manager Mark Bowen told his club's official website. "Ryan Shawcross is back in training and has trained well and the good thing is that he hasn't suffered any reaction.
"We've put a good amount of work back into him and he did some work with the physios at the back end of last week. The key has always been how well - or how badly - he reacts to the intensity of training, but so far it has been really good.
"We're delighted with that and from Ryan's point of view, going into the weekend, we're now on Wednesday and we'll see how he turns up on Friday after a day's rest on Thursday.
"Obviously we've got to be governed by the way he feels and what the physios are telling us.
"One thing I will say is the last time he came back he did so after maybe a couple of training sessions because that's Ryan and he wants to get involved straight away and maybe, just maybe, we're saying it was a bit early.
"But hopefully by the time we get to the weekend he will have had a good solid week's training so the idea is he will be in the frame."
Playmaker Shaqiri also picked up an injury against Southampton after straining his thigh and he will be looking forward to returning to action against Liverpool this Sunday.
Bowen added: "Shaqiri has trained with us again this week. We're delighted with that and he seems to have come through ok. I definitely think with him that if he doesn't suffer any reaction he'll be in the frame to start against Liverpool."
