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Stoke City skipper Ryan Shawcross is on track for an early return from his broken leg.

And that might mean an appearance before the end of the year if everything slots into place during his rehabilitation.

Shawcross has been sidelined since a week before the start of the new season after injuring himself during a friendly Stoke against Premier League Leicester City at the bet365 Stadium.

He underwent surgery on a broken fibula the following day and was initially expected to be out until at least Christmas.

But according to first-team coach Rory Delap, it now seems that the 31-year-old centre-back could be back sooner than anticipated.

Delap told BBC Radio Stoke: "He's ahead of where he should be. There's no time scale on him coming back as yet, but he'll want to be involved as soon as possible.

"He's been in the group, he's been in meetings, he's been in the dressing room, so he is still around and a positive influence on the squad.

"And there's no doubt he'll come back stronger than ever."

The absence of Shawcross has been thrown into even sharper focus following Stoke's disastrous start to the season and the nature of many of the 17 goals they have conceded in just seven games.

The Potters remain bottom of the Championship table following seven games with just a solitary point to their name and a difficult encounter with Brentford to look forward to this weekend.

The Stoke skipper has received messages of support during his enforced absence.

He said: "I have been inundated with messages from current and former teammates, fellow professionals, Stoke City supporters and so many others, and I can’t thank them enough."

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