Stoke City manager Nathan Jones has given a positive fitness update on versatile midfielder Sam Clucas and could still start against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. 

The former Swansea man limped off against Aston Villa last weekend and was expected to face a spell on the sidelines, but Jones says he has progressed well in training.

"Sam is a lot better than we initially thought," Jones told his pre-match press conference.

"He has trained today, so thankfully he looks in a good place at the minute.

"We will assess him over the next 24 hours but he has a far better chance of featuring than we thought."

This weekend sees them welcome play-off hopefuls Nottingham Forest to the Bet365 stadium in what will surely be a tough match.

The Potters currently sit in 18th place with 34 matches played despite being made heavy pre-season favourites to be champions after a very strong transfer window.

But even a top-six finish is beginning to look like a pipe dream now with the Bristol City, who currently occupy the final spot in the play-offs, 12 points better off.

The verdict 

This is great news.

In a season where there have been so many disappointments at Stoke, Clucas is somebody who has played to a consistently decent level.

His willingness to play in midfield or in defence will make him a very useful player for Jones next season.