ON-LOAN Gavin Kilkenny revealed wretched luck with injuries had hindered his spell at Stoke City.

The 22-year-old Dubliner signed a one-year contract extension at Vitality Stadium, before joining the Potters at the start of July.

He played four times in all competitions before being rocked by a hip injury.

Having recovered from that problem, the Republic of Ireland under-21 international then tore his medial collateral ligament in training.

He is still set to be out for another four weeks due to the knee issue.

In quotes published by Stoke-On-Trent Live, Kilkenny said: “I did this injury a two or three weeks ago now.

“I actually tore a muscle in my hip a couple of weeks before that and I was buzzing to be back training with the lads just before the Luton game got cancelled. We trained on the Saturday and did my knee on the Saturday, an innocuous injury.

“There was a pass, I blocked it and the knee opened up and tore the MCL, the inside of the knee. I’ll be out for about another four weeks, hopefully sooner but we’re not putting too much pressure on it at the moment.

“I’m working really hard to get back, the physios are doing really well, and I’m hoping I’ll get back before the break for the World Cup. Then hopefully I can start my season from there.”

Kilkenny was a key figure in Cherries' team during the early part of last season, contributing heavily to the club's record 15-game unbeaten start to a league campaign.

But with his game time limited during the second half of the season, the midfielder linked up with Stoke on a season-long switch for 2022-23.

He added: “I’ve actually been lucky with my injuries up until now but it’s just part of the game, isn’t it? You have to take the good with the bad and hopefully I’ll get back as quickly as possible.

“It’s important not to rush it even though I’m itching to get back. The physios are in charge of that and making sure I get back at the right time.

“It is very frustrating. I’m only here on loan for a year and the first two or three months have been cut off. I want to get back. I’ll definitely be back for the second half and hopefully a couple of games in the first half before the World Cup.”

Stoke are currently 20th in the Championship table. They sacked Michael O’Neill in August before replacing him with Alex Neil.