Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill has dismissed suggestion that midfielder Peter Etebo cut see his loan spell from Galatasaray cut short.

Etebo joined the Turkish giants on a temporary basis back in the summer transfer window, but has since found game time hard to come by with his current club.

Reports from Turkey earlier this week has claimed that Etebo could see his loan deal cut short, to allow Galatasaray to fund a loan deal for Fulham midfielder Jean-Michael Seri.

However, it seems as though O'Neill does not expect to see Etebo back at The Bet365 Stadium before the end of this season.

Asked about the 'rumour' that Etebo could return to Stoke this month, O'Neill was quoted by The Stoke Sentinel as saying: "It’s definitely a rumour! The players who are out on loan are out on loan for the season and that won’t change.

"It was what they wanted at that period in time. They made that decision and we made that decision as a club. Maybe because the loan hasn’t gone well, you can’t just decide you want to come back. It doesn’t work like that.

"We don’t envisage any of the loan players who are currently at various clubs returning to Stoke in January."

Since joining Stoke from Portuguese side Feirense in the summer of 2018, Etebo has made 51 appearances in all competitions for Stoke, scoring twice.

Prior to his move to Galatasaray last summer, Etebo had spent the second half of last season n loan in Spain with La Liga outfit Getafe.

The Verdict

It looks as though Etebo is caught between something of a rock and a hard place here.

Judging by these comments, it seems O'Neill does not want to have him back at Stoke this season, while it appears Galatsaray may not want him either.

As a result, it seems as though Etebo may be in for a difficult few months before he can look for a move in the summer, which could give him the opportunity of more regular playing time.

You do however, have to feel slightly sorry for the midfielder here, given he didn't seem to have done a lot wrong at Stoke prior to being shipped out on loan by the club in the first place.