Beattie hopeful of return

// A bit of a hack but it works// The article snippet is wrapped onto a second line, even when #article-sub is emptyif( $("div#article-sub").children().length == 0 ) {$("div#article-sub").remove();} Stoke star James Beattie is hopeful of returning way ahead of schedule.

The England international has been expected to be sidelined for six weeks because of knee ligament damage he sustained in August.

But now just three weeks on, Beattie could be se to face Chelsea on Saturday after a course of injections.

"The injections were painful to the extent that I didn't sleep much at all on the nights after I had them," he revealed.

"But the good news is an expected six weeks out could be turned into three because they have definitely worked.

"They speed up the healing process by increasing the blood flow through the ligament itself.

"The injections were so good that I was able to run in a straight line within a few days of getting injured.

"I've gradually increased my workload and I'm now back in full training."

Source: SKY_Sports

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