Stoke: Mama out for nine months

Stoke striker, Mamady Sidibe has been ruled out for up to nine months with a cruciate ligament injury.

Big Mama sustained the injury during the warm-up before the reserve match at Villa Park recently, but doctors had been unable to agree on the best course of treatment. He’s now to undergo surgery and it’s therefore unlikely that we’ll see him available for selection before the end of this year.