Stoke City boss Steven Schumacher has revealed that striker Ryan Mmaee has been sidelined by the Championship club for disciplinary reasons – and is still not available for selection.

But Schumacher says he is now training with Stoke’s Under-21s.

“We had an internal disciplinary issue with Ryan,” he told BBC Radio Stoke.

“A few issues that have happened. I won’t go into the details, but there were a few things that weren’t the behaviour we expect from one of our players.

“We spoke to him after the Sunderland game and told him that this was the situation and that, for the time being he wouldn’t be considered for selection

“That’s what happened and that’s still the case. He wasn’t involved in the week leading up to the Leicester game and for now he isn’t available.

“This week he has been training with the fitness coaches and he will continue training at the back end of the week with the Under-21s.”

Stoke, 20th in the table, just four points clear of trouble, head for a crucial away game on Saturday at fellow strugglers Blackburn, just a point above them.

Morocco international Mmaee is one of 25 players to have arrived at Stoke since the end of last season.

Twenty were signed by then boss Alex Neil, who was sacked in December – and Schumacher added five more in the January window,

Although they also chose to let Dwight Gayle go, they also signed Niall Ennis from Blackburn.

Having starred for Schumacher in League One at Plymouth last season, Ennis has so failed to make an impact a level higher, having not yet netted in 11 appearances, only three of which have not been from the bench.

But he is now intriguingly lined up to make his first Stoke start against the club that chose to let him go.