Whelan '50-50' for Stoke's clash with United

Stoke boss Tony Pulis will assess the condition of Glenn Whelan and Michael Owen ahead of tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League clash with the latter’s former club Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Midfielder Whelan, who came off in the 0-0 draw at Liverpool with a hamstring problem which kept him out of the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers against Germany and the Faroe Islands, is rated “50-50” by Pulis.