Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross to miss two months after back surgery

London: Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross will be out of action for at least two months after a back operation scheduled for next week, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

The 27-year-old central defender, signed from Manchester United in 2008, has suffered a recurrence of a back problem that troubled him last season and the club said on their website (www.stokecityfc.com) that surgery was the only solution. 

Stoke hoped rest would avoid the need for an operation but, while that initially seemed the case, the harder Shawcross pushed himself in pre-season the more discomfort he felt.