Stoke City will be without summer signing Ryan Mmaee after he was sent to train with the Under-21s by Steven Schumacher.

Blackburn Rovers host the Potters at Ewood Park in what is a massive match for both clubs. Rovers sit in 18th, five points above the relegation zone, with Stoke two places and one point behind them.

One player that won't be involved on Saturday is big-money signing Mmaee. The 26-year-old striker was dropped to the bench for the match at Sunderland a fortnight ago and was then completely left out of the squad last weekend against Leicester.

Schumacher has revealed Nmaee is now training with the Under-21s due to poor discipline in training.

"We set out on the first day about the standards we expect at the training ground," he said.

"There have been a couple of instances, and I won't need to go into the detail, where I felt Ryan wasn't buying into that. 

"It's not fair to demand things from the whole squad and there's one person who was letting staff and players down. It sends a message that we're serious about what we're saying. I'm not to come here and flippantly say something. 

"We have to back up what we say and what we require from the players. At the moment, Ryan isn't available. The door is never permanently shut on any player but things have to change from his point of view if he wants to make an impact back in this team.

"It's part and parcel of being a football manager. It's the first time I've had to deal with an issue like this but it's all experience and if you believe in something, you have to see it through. That's what we're about. 

"We believe that you have to do things properly on the training ground, we're here every day and if you get this part of the working environment right, the match days will take care of themselves.

"I said to Ryan that the door is never permanently shut. I don't believe that's the way it should be. It's an issue we're going to have to try to work through and it'll have to start with him. It's up to him to show it and if he wants to be here, he will have to do something about it."