Stoke City midfielder Ibrahim Afellay could be sidelined for up to eight months after suffering cruciate knee ligament damage.

Afellay, who has been capped 52 times by the Netherlands, sustained what his Premier League club called a "serious knee injury" in a training session on Friday.

The 30-year-old was a key member of Mark Hughes' side and his absence for the rest of this season and the start of next term is a significant blow.

Speaking ahead of Stoke's league match at Manchester City on Saturday, Hughes said: "It's unfortunate for Ibrahim. He twisted his knee in training. He'll come back stronger with our support."

Hughes has had to deal with a growing list of injury problems, with goalkeeper Jack Butland out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle and Xherdan Shaqiri sidelined by a hamstring problem.