Ryan Mmaee says he is looking forward to “really showing everyone what he is capable of doing” this season at Stoke City
Ryan Mmaee is hoping to back fit for Stoke City before the start of the new season.
The 26-year-old striker has been working with Stoke’s fitness team during off-season and pre-season so far after picking up a knee injury. He missed the last five games of last season due to injury, having also spent time in the treatment room from late August until late October and from late January to mid-March.
He joined Stoke from Ferencvaros in July last year and made 17 Championship starts in all, scoring three times, and he is looking forward to joining back in with his teammates as soon as possible to prove he can play a part for Steven Schumacher.
“(Rehab is) going very well,” he said in an interview for the club website while at a training camp in Cork. “It’s been a few weeks that I’ve been working now, during the summer as well, and we get the picture to see where I have to come back and when exactly and we’re working at a good pace. I’m soon ready to be back with the team, so I’m happy.
“I’ve been working with the physios to come back before the season starts. That’s what we’re hoping for right now.
“The whole club has been available through the summer, even though they had summer holidays as well. They came back at the club to help me come back fit as soon as possible. They’ve been great for me and I want to give it back on the pitch when I’m back.”
Mmaee hopes he can benefit from the experience of his first 12 months in England – and, crucially, be more available for selection this time around.
He said: “I found my first season very good. I like the league, I like the atmosphere and intensity of the games. It fits my playing style. Personally, I had a lot of injuries last season and I need to be more careful with that this year and to be more available for the team. I’m looking forward to really showing what I’m capable of doing.
“I learnt a lot about the league and the way it plays here. It’s a very intense league, very hard duels and a lot of games. We need to manage all that and personally I learnt a lot. We can take that into next season, which is a good thing.”
He added: “Of course (I’m confident about the team). We have a lot of qualities in the team, a lot of good players, and if we add some pieces as well this transfer window, we can be a very dangerous team. I’m looking forward to it. The whole team knows the quality we have and we’re looking forward to showing what we can do.”