Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan faces spell on the sidelines

Vienna , Austria - 12 November 2016; Glenn Whelan of Republic of Ireland prior to being substituted off due to an injury during the FIFA World Cup Group D Qualifier match between Austria and Republic of Ireland at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Vienna , Austria - 12 November 2016; Glenn Whelan of Republic of Ireland prior to being substituted off due to an injury during the FIFA World Cup Group D Qualifier match between Austria and Republic of Ireland at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna, Austria. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Stoke City’s midfield linkman faces time in the treatment room after coming off injured on international duty.

Mark Hughes may well have to re-jig his starting XI for Stoke City’s upcoming home clash with Bournemouth at the Bet365 Stadium.

Irish midfield man Glenn Whelan was forced off 24 minutes into his nation’s clash with Austria on Saturday.

Stoke’s injury list is growing, as Whelan joins seven other first-team members currently needing time to recover from various injuries.

The Republic of Ireland went on to the win the game 0-1 in Vienna, as a goal from West Brom midfielder James McClean was enough to see Martin O’Neill’s side return to Dublin with three points.

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Whelan has featured in every single game in the league for Stoke City so far this season, although that record will now surely come to an end.

The club will be eager to quickly establish the extent of the injury.

Stoke City’s starting options dwindling

If teams could request a double international break, no doubt Mark Hughes would be playing his chip this weekend.

Stoke now have a backlog of injuries that seems to be ever-increasing.

Egyptian youngster Ramadan also picked up a problem while serving his country, as he, Whelan and Xherdan Shaqiri are all sidelined with hamstring issues.

Geoff Cameron and Glen Johnson are closing on a return after suffering knee and thigh problems, respectively.

Long-term absentees Jack Butland, Stephen Ireland and Ibrahim Afellay are still awaiting a definitive date to get back into action.

Manager Hughes may face a slight selection headache for the visit of the Cherries on Saturday.

The Welshman though may be buoyed by the return of Austrian international Marko Arnautovic, who sat out the draw at West Ham due to suspension.

Saturday may be a bit too soon for Glen Johnson to return, as Geoff Cameron hopes to be considered sooner than first thought.