Hughes: Bojan still has Stoke future

Mark Hughes may be bored of fending off questions regarding Stoke superstar Bojan but he has admitted the Spaniard is part of his plans this season.

Bojan’s Stoke career is a tale of two halves, with his swashbuckling start cut short by a serious knee injury which he has struggled to overcome.

Last season he was loaned out to German side Mainz but did not impress and now he is back in the Potteries with his future uncertain.

But Hughes plans to give him another chance to stake a claim for a first-team place as the Midlands club look to rebound from a disappointing campaign – where they finished in the bottom half of the Premier league table for the first time in four years.

Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images

“He’s come back and he’s in great shape at the moment,” said Hughes.

“He went out because he wanted more game time. He had been out for so long with a significant injury and it was difficult for him to miss out playing football and he was getting a little bit frustrated, his people were getting a little bit frustrated.

“In the end we had cover to a certain extent – the likes of [Ibrahim] Afellay and Joe Allen had done ok in that position, the number 10, his preferred position, so we felt we could allow him to go out and get more game time.

“Six months further down the line and he’s come back looking very good.

“It’s early days, we know that, but we’re looking forward to getting him involved in the games and seeing how he shapes up.”