Stoke must wait until Christmas for Gudjohnsen appearance

Stoke City boss Tony Pulis admits Eidur Gudjohnsen won't be ready until after Christmas.

The former Barcelona and Chelsea striker signed for the Potters in August but he has struggled to reach peak condition.

Gudjohnsen, 32, arrived from Monaco having not taken part in pre-season and he did not play regular football last term.

Pulis revealed the Icelandic ace is still overweight and said: "His weight is still a bit up on what it needs to be. Hopefully sometime in December we should have him up and running.

"The pace of the Premier League now dictates you have to be 100 per cent."

Pulis, whose side are preparing for Saturday's trip to Sunderland, does not regret taking the chance on Gudjohnsen.

He added: "He's good to have around the place and shown glimpses of what a player he is. But he's not up to the level we want."

 
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