Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has expressed his delight at the return of striker Peter Odemwingie from a lengthy injury absence.

Odemwingie made his first appearance for eight months as a second half substitute for Jon Walters in the 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Saturday which brought pleasure to teammate Begovic.

"It was a brilliant moment and we're all very pleased for Peter. He's a great person to have around and he's been so positive and worked so hard at his recovery," he said.

"Hopefully this marks a turning-point for him and he can get back into the team and play football regularly.

"You can't have too many players like him, so it's a positive to take into the game for next week knowing we can call on him."