david_smith
Stephen Ireland has signed a six-month contract extension at Stoke.
The former Ireland international missed most of last season due to a double-leg break sustained in April 2016, but it appears that he is still in manager Mark Hughes’ plans at the bet365 Stadium.
“Stephen has been forced to put his career on hold after suffering a very serious injury in training through no fault of his own,” toke’s Chief Executive Tony Scholes said.
“He’s working incredibly hard to get himself back to full fitness and we felt that it was only right to offer him a short-term contract to give him peace of mind while he continues with that process.
“Stephen is grateful for the support we have shown him and we look forward to hopefully seeing him pull on a Stoke City shirt again in the near future.â€
The 30 year old – who won six international caps before his controversial international retirement -Â joined the Potters permanently in 2014 after a loan spell, and has made 55 Premier League appearances for the club since then.
Ireland was crowned the Manchester City Player of the Year in 2009, but joined Aston Villa a year later, where he made 47 Premier League appearances in three seasons.
