Stoke City winger Ato Ampah has suffered a second serious injury setback just eight months after joining the club.

The England Under-20 international has yet to make his debut for the Potters since signing from Chelsea in February.

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Following a decade with the Blues, Ampah penned a three-year deal with Stoke earlier this year.

However, a toe injury disrupted his first few months at the club as his recovery stretched into the new season.

Despite an impressive return to action with the Under-21s last month, Ampah is now set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The 20-year-old suffered a knee injury as he stepped up his recovery which has required surgery, manager Mark Robins has confirmed.

It comes after the forward scored twice in four matches for the Under-21s after goals against Wolves and Bournemouth.

As well as those Premier League 2 appearances, Ampah recently featured in a Premier League International Cup defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach.

Robins confirms Ampah surgery

Robins provided an injury update during his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's trip to Derby County, he explained: "It’s really disappointing.

"It was an impact injury during the break and he was looking like he was ready to go in terms of his fitness and his availability and all of those things but he had an impact injury that meant he’s had to have surgery and it was quite serious surgery.

"He’s going to be out for a fair amount of time and everybody is really disappointed for him.

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"Surgery has gone well, so I’m told, but it will take a long time for that to heal to ensure that the surfaces of his joints are not compromised for the rest of his life.

"You don’t know what he could have been and what he could have given us and we’re just going to have to wait.

"For him it’s really, really difficult. He’s not been able to get going at all but this one was a challenge under a challenge that has really affected his knee.

"He’s had that surgery done, he’s had some corrective stuff done and that’s the bit that will take time because you’ve got to give it a chance to heal properly."

Who is Ato Ampah?

Born in Ghana, Ampah joined Chelsea's academy at Under-11 level before progressing through the club's famed youth system.

He made one senior appearance during his time with the Blues in December 2024.

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Ampah featured off the bench in a Conference League victory over Astana, earning himself a winner's medal at the end of the campaign.

His first-team debut came aged 18 after producing impressive numbers for Chelsea's Under-18 side.

Across 31 appearances for the team, Ampah scored 10 goals and added nine assists.

He was also part of the side which lost the 2024 Under-18 Premier League national final to Manchester United two years ago.

Ampah made a further 40 appearances after being promoted to Chelsea's Under-21s, scoring seven goals and providing four assists.

At international level, he has also turned out for the Young Lions in both the Under-18 and Under-20 age groups.