Stoke boss Hughes insists Crouch in his plans

Stoke City boss Mark Hughes insists Peter Crouch is in his plans.

Crouch, 34, has been cast to the fringes at the Britannia Stadium, playing just 45 minutes of Premier League football this season.

Hughes said: "Peter's been unfortunate that he's had a couple of injuries. He's just coming back now. He's had a week's training and wasn't ready to be involved over the weekend.

"But he's a big part of what we do here. He's going to get game time at some point. We're going to need everybody. He's very much in my thoughts."