PENNANT ENTRY

Jermaine Pennant has been unable to
obtain a work permit to join Stoke City
on their tour of the United States for a
second year running.
A club spokesman confirmed to
OMNISPORT that the 30-year-old has
not travelled with the team and will
continue his own preparations back in
England with the club's Under-21 side.
The winger, who joined Stoke permanently in 2011 following a previous loan spell,
was unable to obtain the necessary permission to head to America following a
previous criminal conviction for admitting driving home drunk from a nightclub.
It is the second successive year that Pennant has been denied entry to the US and
comes after Stoke manager Mark Hughes decided to show faith in him by offering him
a new one-year deal, having slipped down the pecking order under Tony Pulis.
The rest of Stoke squad are preparing for matches against Houston Dynamo, FC
Dallas and Philadelphia Union in America.