Hughes looking to freshen up Stoke squad during break

Manager Mark Hughes is hoping some warm-weather training will give his Stoke City players the perfect opportunity to hit the ground running after absences from the side.

The 53-year-old is taking the Potters squad to the Middle East for three days next week, with the weekend’s FA Cup matches offering them a break after they exited the competition in the third round at the hands of Wolves.

The likes of Geoff Cameron and Xherdan Shaqiri are only just returning to full training following injury lay-offs, while new signing Saido Berahino is short of minutes.

And after Saturday’s 1-0 triumph over struggling Crystal Palace – Joe Allen’s second-half winner giving Stoke their first win in four Premier League matches – Hughes is relishing the opportunity to freshen his squad up.

“We will go away for a few days for some training and hopefully we will be able to get several players back and ready for the game at Tottenham in two weeks time,” he explained.

“Saido Berahino will benefit from the trip having only recently arrived here whilst guys like Geoff Cameron and Xherdan Shaqiri will also benefit from an extra week of training following their injuries.

“The break has come at a good time for us to be perfectly honest, so we will look forward to it, utilise it correctly and hopefully be in really good shape for the next game.”