Hughes urges Butland to focus on Stoke

Jack Butland may have several Premier League giants chasing his signature, but Stoke City boss Mark Hughes is confident he will not follow his predecessor and force an exit just yet.

Asmir Begovic, like Butland, became one of the most sought after goalkeepers in England during his stint in the Potteries – and eventually joined Chelsea in 2015.

But he has been stuck on the Blues bench ever since, struggling for game time behind number one Thibaut Courtois.

Butland’s stock is arguably even higher than Begovic’s was, and the Englishman will command a far greater fee than the £7m Chelsea paid two years ago.

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

But Hughes insists the 24-year-old will only improve if he stays with Stoke, and has urged the England international to knock back any offers from the likes of Manchester City.

“I’m sure when he (Begovic) went to Chelsea, knowing Asmir, he’d back his ability against anybody to be number one there and I think that was the motivation to go,” he said.

“As it is, it just hasn’t worked out because he’s a number one keeper and number one keepers want to play week-in, week-out.

“I’m sure he still feels he’s benefited going to a top-line club and he’s been exposed to how they operate, so from that point of view he’s still developed as a keeper.

“Jack knows what he’s got here. He’s an established keeper at a good Premier League club. It’s sometimes said that at Stoke you can’t get international recognition, that’s not the case with Jack.

“He’s made the full England squad and is well thought of within that group, so it shows what you can attain here.

“He’s got a good goalkeeping coach here that he’s got the utmost respect for, Andy Quy, and that’s significant for him as well because he knows what type of work he needs and that helps his development.”