Shawcross eyeing return against West Brom

Centre-back Shawcross has not played since suffering a back injury in the 3-1 win over QPR on January 31, but has returned to light training and is set to join up with the rest of the squad in the next few days.

"I'm training again now and all being well I will step it up a bit over the next couple of days. I would love to be available on Saturday," Shawcross told Stoke's official website. 

"I suppose it will all depend upon how I react to training and what the manager and the medical team think about it – they will have the final say. 

"I'm paid to play football and when you sit in the stands watching the other lads play it is really frustrating and you don't feel you deserve the money. 

"It's an injury I picked up a while ago but I played on and it was feeling ok, but then I had a little slip in the game against Queens Park Rangers and it didn't feel right. 

"Thankfully it isn't something that is too serious, it has just been a case of having a couple of injections and resting it up. Hopefully that has done the trick. 

"It's been five or six weeks since I last played and it has been difficult being out for so long. 

"When you are out there putting your body on the line every week you just have to accept that sometimes you do pick up niggles."