Hughes denies Stoke pair rift

Mark Hughes insists there are no issues between Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen and Glenn Whelan, after the pair clashed on international duty last weekend.

Irishman Whelan caught Welshman Allen in the face with an elbow and the pair squared up in a heated battle, which also saw Ireland lose Seamus Coleman to a broken leg.

But Hughes insists their friendship remains intact and says the competitive nature of the game saw things boil over – with no after-effects seen in training between the midfield rivals.

“When I played, I’d kick my granny if she was the opposition,” Hughes said.

“They are team-mates, they enjoy each other’s company, they were playing for their countries and wanted to win.

“They were just displaying national fervour. I looked at it myself and I think Glenn was thinking he was going to crash into Joe, and he made an involuntary action in my view.

“I don’t think he actually threw an elbow, I think maybe he went to protect himself from the clash and he caught Joe on the chin, so that can happen.

“But you saw, almost immediately, Glenn saying he didn’t do it on purpose and he made that point quite forcefully on the pitch I think. It’s something of nothing.

“It happens more often in training games during the week, which people never hear about it, when the cameras aren’t on.”