Ryan Shawcross has revealed that he is ready to "step up" his involvement in training with Stoke City as he prepares to make his return from a back injury.
The Potters captain is yet to feature this season after undergoing back surgery, but has come through two matches with the club's Under-21s side during the international break.
The defender told the Stoke Sentinel: "[A return date] all depends on conversations between me and the manager, but we haven't had those conversations yet.
"I've been training a lot with the Under-21s because so many senior players have been away, but hopefully I can step up my training with them next week. You have to be patient with these things. It's a case of building things up slowly and then waiting for the right moment to come back.
"The back has been brilliant, no reactions. The only problem is that with any long-term injury you're going to get a few niggles elsewhere because your body has been resting for so long, but the back is fine. It's been tough, but in saying that, injuries are part of the parcel of football and I've been lucky that I haven't had too many up to now."
Stoke face Swansea City in the Premier League on Monday.
Sian Cowper
