by Martin Spinks
martin.spinks@thesentinel.co.uk

STOKE captain Abdoulaye Faye fears his pre-season preparations will remain on ice this week after picking up a hip injury.

Faye has already missed Saturday's 2-1 friendly defeat at Preston and rates himself highly doubtful for tomorrow's visit to Nottingham Forest.

And his hopes of returning to action in time for Saturday's short trip to Derby remain dubious.

"My hip is still really sore, but at least I am sleeping better now," said Stoke's player-of-the-year.

"The scan on the muscle said there was no problem. And on Friday they told me I will be healthy again in three or four days. But now I think it will take longer."

Faye was left on crutches after picking up the injury last Friday when the Michelin training ground was hit by a fierce rainstorm.

"I went to make a tackle," he recalled, "but it was raining too much, and I slipped – I felt my hip straight away. There is pain, oh man the pain."

But the 31-year-old centre-half is not unduly worried about the amount of pre-season training he is now missing as the Potters countdown to their Premier League opener against Burnley, at the Britannia Stadium, on August 15. "My fitness is better now," he added.

"I know my body and that is important for a player.

"I don't like training, I like playing. When you play you forget the pain," added Faye, who remains odds-on favourite to be officially named captain for the new season.

Stoke were today awaiting developments in Monaco after midfielder Seyi Olofinjana was allowed to visit the south of France following agreement between the two clubs on a fee of £2.5m for the Nigerian.

But Olofinjana is thought to prefer remaining in this country to prevent disrupting his young family and is hopeful of an offer from an English club.

A £3m capture from Wolves last July, he started Stoke's first 13 Premier League games last season, but fell out of favour thereafter and made only one start in the remaining 25 matches.

STOKE chairman Peter Coates was at the club's training ground today for the ceremonial cutting of the first sod of grass ahead of the £5m re-development of the Michelin site.

Work is expected to be completed by this time next year on new facilities including offices, changing rooms, pitches and floodlights.