Mark Hughes preparing to hand Bojan Krkic starting berth

Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has revealed that he is considering allowing striker Bojan Krkic to return to his starting lineup following his lengthy injury layoff.

The 25-year-old sustained a torn cruciate ligament in January and has slowly made his way back to fitness over the past eight months, and has featured in two matches this season in the Capital One Cup against Luton Town and as a substitute at Arsenal.

He told Sky Sports News: "He's been desperate to play for about five weeks. He's understanding of the fact that I'll pick him on merit, I'll pick him when I feel he's ready and I'll pick him when I feel he can have the same impact as he had prior to the injury. He's very, very close to that point.

"We're delighted that he's an option so early. We didn't really expect him to be in my thoughts at this stage given the injury that he had. As a consequence of how well he worked and the amount of work he put in, he deserves a lot of credit.

"We're delighted we're in the position we find ourselves in and I have the option to pick him if I want. Everybody wants him to come back and make that immediate impact. If the timing of his comeback wasn't managed correctly, he wouldn't be in the position to come back and make the impact that we think he will do when he's back playing regularly."

The Potters face Leicester City at the Britannia Stadium later today.