Stoke's star turn has got his strength back

Stoke striker Bojan Krkic says his strength and confidence levels have returned following his first start in six months.

The Spaniard had been out of action since late January after picking up a serious knee injury during an FA Cup tie against Rochdale but he played over an hour of last weekend’s Colonia Cup defeat to Porto.

Potters boss Mark Hughes sounded a note of caution on Monday regarding Bojan’s long-awaited return, saying he would not rush the former Barcelona forward back into action, but the 24-year-old says he is delighted to be playing again.