Stoke City have confirmed that Stephen Ireland will be sidelined for around two weeks with a chest injury.
The 28-year old midfielder has sustained a muscle injury around his rib cage and is set to miss two weeks, ruling him out of this weekend's trip to Hull City.
Potters boss Mark Hughes said: "We have a problem with Stephen Ireland unfortunately, who has pulled a muscle in his rib cage.
"It's a disappointment to us because he is a good player and somebody we would prefer to have available to us.
"It looks like he will be out for a couple of weeks at least, or until the pain has gone to allow him to move around the pitch comfortably."
The injury could also see Ireland miss next week's Capital One Cup meeting with Portsmouth and the August 30 league clash with reigning champions and his former club Manchester City.
