Potters pushing Ness
Stoke City are confident they will have Jamie Ness at peak fitness in time for the start of the 2012/13 Premier League campaign.
Last Updated: 11/07/12 10:55am
Stoke City are confident they will have Jamie Ness at peak fitness in time for the start of the 2012/13 Premier League campaign.
The 21-year-old has linked up with the Potters after opting to turn his back on the financial troubles at Rangers.
He has, however, arrived in England nursing a number of niggling knocks.
Ness has struggled to steer clear of the treatment table in recent years, but Stoke are confident that intensive workouts behind the scenes will have him ready for the start of pre-season training on Thursday.
Medical
"Our medical team have been working hard with him and will carry on working hard to get him fit for the start of the season," director of football John Rudge told The Sentinel.
"Although he didn't play many games last season, we are confident we can resolve any problems he had before."
Ness is still waiting on FIFA to ratify his move to the Britannia Stadium, having refused to transfer his contract to the newco at Rangers, but Rudge is confident off-field issues will not prove to be a distraction.
He said: "He is a young lad in a new country and things are not straightforward on the deal, but I'm sure he will be strong enough to get himself up and running.
"He just wants to get his career going again and get back to playing as soon as possible.
"He is looking forward to the challenge of coming down here from Scotland and playing in the Premier League."
Loans
Meanwhile, Rudge has revealed that Stoke are looking to send midfield duo Matthew Lund and Florent Cuvelier out on loan in an effort to get them games.
"We want to get them out playing regular football in pressure situations, not sitting on the bench, and so it's important to get the right clubs for them," he said.
"Then we'll get them back at the end of December to re-assess things."
