Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill has confirmed that forward Abdallah Sima has returned to his parent-club Brighton & Hove Albion in order to let the Premier League side's medical team assess his current injury woes.

Sima would have been hoping to make a positive impact for the Potters during the first-half of the 2021/22 campaign after joining the club on a temporary deal in the summer transfer window.

However, the forward has struggled to make inroads on Stoke's starting eleven as he has only featured on two occasions in the Championship this season.

Since participating in the Potters' 2-1 defeat to Brentford in the League Cup in October, Sima has been forced to watch on from the sidelines due to a lack of fitness.

Although the forward was included in the club's match-day squad for their showdown with Queens Park Rangers earlier this month, he was left out of the team for their 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough.

Making reference to Sima's situation at Stoke ahead of the upcoming transfer window, O'Neill has revealed that the forward has briefly returned to Brighton who will assess him in the coming days.

Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel about the forward, O'Neill said: "He's had quite a lot of problems which are pelvic related which then translate into pain in his groins and pain in his back so we've sent him back to Brighton for a few days to let their medical team have a look at him.

"Unfortunately we've not had what we would have hoped out of him.

"His loan is for a season but those are discussions that we will have with Brighton and see what we feel is the best solution for everyone concerned and the boy in particular.

"He has a situation where he has played for two clubs this season, Slavia Prague and ourselves, so that's an added complication in that situation."

The Verdict

When you consider that Sima is unable to play for Brighton until the 2022/23 campaign due to the fact that he has already featured for two teams this season, the Premier League side may decide to let him stay at Stoke for the rest of the season despite his lack of game-time.

For Sima's sake, he will be hoping to overcome his injury woes in the not too distant future as his development has stalled in recent months.

By maintaining his fitness for the remainder of the campaign, the forward could potentially go on to feature regularly for Stoke in the Championship.

With the Potters currently fighting for a top-six finish in the second-tier, O'Neill will need all of his players to step up the mark in the New Year and thus Sima may still be able to play an influential role at the bet365 Stadium.