Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sports Network) - Stoke City will be without winger Brek Shea for its Premier League opener on Aug. 17 against Liverpool, the club confirmed on Monday.
Shea sustained a knee injury in Stoke's 2-0 friendly win over the Philadelphia Union last week, and although manager Mark Hughes was relieved to find out that the injury was not as bad as initially feared, he acknowledged the American international will still miss some time.
"It's not as bad as we first feared which is great news for us, but we will still be without him for a number of weeks," Hughes told the club's official website.
"He certainly won't be available for the first game of the season against Liverpool, but the medical staff here are excellent and we can expect him to be back sooner than people think given the nature of the injury."
The 23-year-old Shea joined Stoke last year from FC Dallas and he made two substitute appearances upon his arrival at the Britannia Stadium.
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