Stoke City manager, Michael O’Neill, has revealed that midfielder, Mikel Obi, will not be rushed back to action after weeks on the sidelines due to a calf injury.

The former Super Eagles captain sustained the injury in Stoke’s 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday last month.

Mikel, who started the team’s first 14 games of the season, has missed their last four matches and is likely to miss the team’s trip to Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday (today).

O’Neill, while addressing the team’s injury issues during the pre-match press conference, disclosed that although Mikel was back in training, he would not be rushed back to the fold to face QPR.

“We’ll assess John Obi. He trained for part of the session on Sunday, but the important thing is not bringing players back too early and risking re-injury,” O’Neill said.

“I suppose the big positive is that no one added to our injury list from the game on Saturday.

“Sam Clucas is still a little bit away; he is not out on the grass yet.”

Stoke are currently eighth on the league table, eight points away from log leaders, Norwich City.

Mikel joined the club in the summer after terminating his contract with Turkish club, Trabzonspor in March due to his comments on COVID-19.