Sam Gallagher made his Stoke City debut against AZ Alkmaar on Saturday – but his afternoon was cut short after picking up an injury
Sam Gallagher made his Stoke City debut against AZ Alkmaar on Saturday – but his afternoon was cut short after picking up an injury
Sam Gallagher’s Stoke City debut ended after less than half an hour. The 28-year-old, who joined the Potters from Blackburn for an undisclosed fee, was thrown straight into the starting XI by Steven Schumacher for their final pre-season game against AZ Alkmaar at the bet365 Stadium.
Gallagher started the match bright, pressing the AZ back-line without getting much service himself. He was offered a couple of opportunities to run in behind and hold the ball up, but didn’t have much in terms of clear chances. Gallagher, standing at 6″4, was a presence, that is for certain.
However, Gallagher’s afternoon came to an end after 28 minutes when he went to ground off the ball holding the side of his right calf. The forward was down for a short while as the medical team went to treat him, before hobbling off the pitch and being taken off, with Niall Ennis replacing him.
Stoke held their own during the first-half against AZ, with Million Manhoef causing a threat down the right-hand side. The flying Dutchman had the Potters’ best chance right on the stroke of half-time as a long ball found him inside the area but his effort was straight at Jeroen Zoet.
