Stoke City manager Mark Hughes insists that he will not rush forward Bojan Krkic's return from injury.
Bojan, 24, suffered a knee injury during an FA Cup game in January and has been sidelined since.
The former Barcelona star completed 60 minutes in a friendly against Porto this weekend and now faces a race against time to be ready for Stoke's Premier League opener with Liverpool on Sunday.
"It was good to give him a decent run-out because that's what he now needs," Hughes told stokecityfc.com.
"It's important that he gets game time, not just to boost his fitness levels but for his confidence as well.
"It's obvious at the moment that he is not quite there yet and he understands that.
"With the progress he is making then he will get there very soon, but it's one of those things that will certainly take a bit of time.
"He is training every day with the rest of the group now so we will continue to be patient with him and hopefully get him back sooner rather than later."