TheCable

Stoke City striker Osaze Odemwingie says he hopes to return “stronger than ever” after undergoing successful knee surgery on Tuesday.

The attacker picked up an injury in Stoke’s 1-0 win over champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in a Barclays Premier League clash on August 30, 2014.

Odemwingie now insists “you can’t keep a good man down,” as he sets about his rehabilitation after knee surgery.

“I’m happy the operation was successful; it’s like a new beginning,” Odemwingie told BBC Sport.

“I want to come back stronger than ever and hopefully pick up from where I stopped in August.”

The former West Brom forward scored five goals in 15 league games for the Potters last season after joining from Cardiff in January and settling well at the Britannia Stadium.

Despite this current setback, he’s upbeat about his future.

“I know it’s going to be a long road back to kicking a football again but I am mentally prepared for that. You can’t keep a good man down,” he said.

“It took couple of weeks to get the surgery done because I had to wait for the knee to settle down.

“Now that it’s done I believe it will give me a new lease of life for the rest of my professional career.”

The Super Eagles forward was left out Stoke’s 25-man Premier League squad – named after his injury at Etihad Stadium – and will not be able to play until January at the earliest.