TheCable

Osaze Odemwingie believes he will soon be back scoring the goals for Stoke City after his long injury layoff.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria forward missed the vast majority of last season after suffering a knee injury, but he did come back just before the end of the campaign as Stoke finished ninth in the Barclays Premier League.

The 34-year-old started both Stoke’s recent pre-season games in Singapore as he continues his return from eight months on the sidelines with ligament damage.

But he admits that getting back on the pitch and getting back to top form is not always the same thing.

“I forced it a little to make it in time to play a little at the end of last season because I felt I needed to. It would have been very sad to go into the summer having missed the whole season after my injury,” he told Stoke Sentinel.

“The summer has made me even better because the rest has done me good. You can get back but still need a few months to be at your best.

“These injuries take longer than you think. You can be playing, but you are not 100 percent yet. However, I feel better and better.

“Our medical department makes sure I’m right every day and I’m doing the right preparation. I do everything right – and I do extra.”

Odemwingie scored five times in his first half-season with Stoke and then became the first Potter to find the net at World Cup finals.

That goal, past Asmir Begovic for the Super Eagles, was his last strike before the injury and he can’t wait to taste the feeling again.

“I’ve been desperate to score even in pre-season. Maybe I have been in too much of a hurry. They are only friendlies, but it’s still important for me to score,” he said.

“I’m happy I signed a new contract so I can play because I didn’t want to end my Stoke days without a goal after that injury. It’s going to come one way or the other. I’m sure of it.”

It may well come in their league opener with Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium on August 9, 2015.