Souttar delighted with Stoke return, World Cup call-up

Gianluca Filosi 1667970724,1667974420

Harry Souttar was delighted after his successful return to the Stoke City line-up following a serious knee injury he sustained while on international duty with Australia almost a year ago.

Souttar made his first senior appearance for the Potters in 12 months, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 win over Luton Town in the Championship on Wednesday morning (AEDT).

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Speaking to Stoke City, the 24-year-old explained he was thrilled to be back and playing again after such a lengthy injury lay-off.

“Obviously that's what the last 12 months we've been building up for and just delighted to be back out there with the lads and in the change room,” he said.

“It's always nice to get a clean sheet as a defender.”

It has been a whirlwind 24 hours for the towering centre-back, who was named in Graham Arnold’s 26-man FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ squad.

Souttar revealed when he suffered the unfortunate injury in November last year against Saudi Arabia, his immediate mindset was that he still had enough time to make the final roster.

Now he is just excited about experiencing his maiden FIFA World Cup.

“First of all, it's a dream come true to play in a World Cup,” Souttar stated.

“When I had done my injury, a year to the day next week probably, the first thing I thought was right, ‘I've got a year to get fit for the World Cup’.

“So as the weeks went by, and the months went by, it was kind of looking like it's going to be touch and go, just thankfully made it.

“Hopefully Saturday, get through, okay and then yeah, just obviously can't wait to represent my country.”

After featuring four times with Stoke’s reserve side, Souttar admitted he was confident he could make a positive return without any mishaps after incrementally managing his work load with the medical and sports science teams.

“I felt like I was ready, I had a little chat with the manager midweek and just asked me if I feel ready to play,” he explained.

“I was honest, I said ‘yeah absolutely’. Obviously, I played kind of four games with the Under 23s. 45 minutes, then 60, then 90 and then 70, so that was always the plan.

“Just ecstatic to be back out there with the lads.”

Should Souttar pull up okay physically, it is expected the defender will be available for this weekend’s meeting with West Bromwich Albion before flying into camp.