Stoke manager Tony Pulis has moved to ease the concerns of a nation by delivering an encouraging bulletin on Thomas Sorensen's dislocated elbow.

Sorensen's hopes of playing for Denmark in South Africa this summer appeared to be in the balance after he was taken off on a stretcher in the first half of Stoke's 7-0 humiliation by Chelsea on Sunday.

Pulis warned afterwards that the former Aston Villa keeper could be sidelined long-term if an operation was required, which would have thrown Danish coach Morten Olsen's World Cup plans into chaos.

But Pulis has since revealed that Sorensen, who departed the pitch with an oxygen mask fitted to his mouth, was successfully treated in hospital before being allowed to travel back to the Midlands with the rest of the squad.

"If he had needed an operation he'd have struggled to make the World Cup," said Pulis. "But there is some encouraging news in that it was put back without the need for that."

Olsen is still sweating on Sorensen's availability after Stoke ruled him out of their remaining three Premier League games over the next fortnight.

The giant Dane, who was left in a heap after colliding with Salomon Kalou for Chelsea's second goal, is key to Denmark's hopes of making an impression in South Africa.


Denmark go into the World Cup full of confidence after topping a qualification group that included Portugal and Sweden.
They have been drawn in Group E at the tournament alongside Holland, Japan and Cameroon, with their opening game against the Dutch on June 14.

The Danes would badly miss their 85-cap first choice keeper, whose deputy, IFK Gothenburg's Kim Christensen, is uncapped.

Should Christensen step up it could mean a late call for Denmark under-21 international Kasper Schmeichel, who has spent this season playing in the fourth-tier of English football with Notts County.

Brian Jensen's slim hopes of forcing his way into the squad as a back-up keeper now appear, adding to his despair after the relegation of his team Burnley from the Premier League.