RORY DELAP IS to go under the knife for a hernia operation.
The Republic of Ireland international hasn’t played since making a 10-minute cameo as a substitute for Stoke City on the opening weekend of the season.
Now he’s set to spend further time on the sidelines.
Ahead of Saturday’s game at home to Queen’s Park Rangers, Potters boss Tony Pulis confirmed that Delap has been carrying the injury for a few weeks and needs a minor procedure.
“Rory won’t feature at all this weekend,” Pulis told the club website.
He has been struggling for a couple of weeks now and it looks like he will have to have a hernia operation to clear out a little problem.
Stoke have only won one of their opening 10 games in the league and are currently 15th, four points clear of the relegation zone.
But Pulis says that there’s no need to hit the panic button.
“I honestly don’t think there is too much wrong with the side at the moment, other than getting that little bit of luck in front of goal,” he said on Thursday.
“We have played as well as, if not better than we have at any other point in the Premier League, but obviously it’s a results business. We are creating chances but for one reason or another they just aren’t hitting the back of the net.”
