Stoke City’s Wilson Palacios faces a few weeks on the sidelines.
The Honduran international was named in Mark Hughes’ starting XI for the opening game of the season at Liverpool, but had to withdraw after complaining of stomach pains during the warm-up. Palacios was sent to the local hospital, and it has now transpired that he underwent minor surgery which will rule him out for a few weeks.
A statement posted on the club’s official website read: “Stoke City can confirm that Wilson Palacios was taken to hospital after an incident occurred in the warm-up which required immediate medical attention. Wilson has successfully undergone a minor surgical procedure from which he is now recovering from and is likely to be sidelined for a few weeks.”
This is another blow for the former Tottenham Hotspur man, who made just four appearances in the Premier League last season due to injury problems. His last outing came in a 1-1 draw at West Ham United back in November, but he was hoping for an upturn in fortune at the Britannia Stadium following the appointment of Hughes.
Stoke fell to a 1-0 defeat at Anfield, having wasted a golden opportunity to equalise when they were awarded a penalty late on. However, Simon Mignolet, who was making his debut for the home side, pushed aside a Jon Walters effort to secure maximum points.
