Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill has revealed that Tyrese Campbell will be included in the club's match-day squad this evening for their clash with AFC Bournemouth.
The forward has been building up his fitness in recent weeks by featuring for the club's Under-23 side and could now be ready to make an appearance at senior level.
Campbell has been forced to watch on from the sidelines at the bet365 Stadium since December 2020 after sustaining a serious knee injury during Stoke's meeting with Cardiff City.
O'Neill is set to be without Morgan Fox and Abdallah Sima for this fixture as they continue to recover from their respective issues.
Fox has only made two appearances for the Potters in all competitions during the current campaign whilst Sima has yet to make an impact for the club since joining them on a season-long loan deal from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer transfer window.
Stoke will close the gap between them and league leaders Bournemouth to four points by beating Scott Parker's side tonight.
Ahead of this clash, O'Neill has delivered a fitness update on Fox, Sima and Campbell.
Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel about Fox and Sima, the Potters boss said: "Fox is still injured, Sima is still injured."
Making reference to Campbell, O'Neill added: "Tyrese will be in the match day squad in terms of the 20-man squad we name for the game tomorrow [Tuesday] night.
The Verdict
Whilst O'Neill would have been hoping to call upon the services of Fox and Sima for this evening's game, there is no reason why the Stoke boss cannot guide his side to a positive result in the absence of this particular duo.
With Campbell set to return to the club's match-day squad, it will be intriguing to see whether he is given an opportunity to showcase his talent against Bournemouth.
Before picking up a knee injury last year, the 21-year-old managed to score six goals and provide seven assists for his team-mates in the Championship.
Although it would be somewhat of a shock if Campbell started for Stoke this evening, there is no reason why he cannot make a positive impact as a substitute in this fixture as he knows exactly what it takes to thrive at this level.