Stoke assistant boss Mark Bowen has admitted the players are “desperate” to see talented forward Bojan Krkic return to full fitness after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Bojan signed for the Potters on a permanent deal last summer and immediately started to show why he is such a highly-regarded player.

The 24-year-old, who is a product of the famous Barcelona academy, struggled to get regular football at the Nou Camp and subsequently was sent out for a number of loan spells.

Roma, AC Milan and Ajax all took Bojan in before he eventually committed to the Britannia Stadium outfit under the tutelage of former Barcelona striker Mark Hughes.

The Stoke boss used contacts at his ex-employers to bring in Bojan, who turned out 16 times and scored five goals before missing the second half of last season.

Rochdale hosted Stoke in round four of the FA Cup in January, with the Premier League side coming away with a 4-1 victory.

Bojan netted in the tie before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury that forced him to end his debut campaign prematurely.

Bowen has revealed that Bojan has been involved in pre-season training and will be around the squad for their upcoming friendly matches.

The assistant boss believes that the youngster can be ready for the start of the 2015-16 campaign, but insists they are wary of aggravating the injury.

Bowen said: “You’re desperate to get him back but you have to be mindful of what he’s been through.

“He’s way ahead of schedule. The physios keeps putting the reins on him as he just wants to do more, but it may take time to build up his fitness.

“Look at Peter Odemwingie last season. He was out seven or eight months with his recovery from a similar knee injury. Bojan has been out for five-and-a-half months, maybe six, and we don’t want to rush him and put too much pressure on him to finish off what he did last year.”

Stoke can be backed at 3.10 to claim victory on the opening day of the campaign when they host Liverpool, who are price at 2.30 to take all three points, while the draw is available at 3.30.