Marc Wilson should be back in action for Stoke City after recovering from a broken leg sustained in October.
The 25-year old defender returned with 75 minutes in a friendly with Northampton on Tuesday and manager Tony Pulis suggests he is well on the way to returning to the Potters first team.
"I'm not sure - as quick as we possibly can," said Pulis when quizzed on Wilson's return date.
"I rate him as one of the best players at this football club and a very, very good Premier League player. We need him back.
"The balance of the team and squad has not been right. We have tried ever so hard to correct that in the summer and in the last window, but not been able to do it for all sorts of reasons - there is no one to blame.
"It has left us a little bit unbalanced, so to get Marc back in will be a real bonus for us.
"He has trained for the last month or so, but we have been careful with him in lots of respects.
"He needs games and he needs a little bit more training."
