Mark Hughes welcomes prospect of new Jack Butland deal before Newcastle fixture
Stoke manager Mark Hughes has welcomed the prospect of the club handing another new contract to goalkeeper Jack Butland on the even of his side's Barclays Premier League match with Newcastle.
Butland, who joined the Potters in January 2013 on a four-and-a-half-year deal, only signed a fresh contract with them taking him through to 2019 around a year ago.
The 22-year-old has since succeeded the departed Asmir Begovic as first-choice stopper and has put in a series of impressive displays this season.
Reports have suggested he is set to be rewarded with a significant pay rise as part of another new deal, to 2021.
And when asked on Tuesday about the talk of Stoke looking to do that, Hughes said: "I wouldn't be averse to it.
"Jack has only just signed a long-term deal, but that was just prior to the situation we had with Asmir in terms of what his future held (Begovic joined Chelsea over the summer).
"At that point Jack wasn't the confirmed number one, which he is now, so circumstances have changed somewhat and I think that is the thinking behind looking and revisiting the contract situation again."
Hughes - speaking at his press conference ahead of Wednesday's home clash with the Magpies - stressed he was "not privy to the details" in terms of what Butland might be offered.
But when asked if he felt the England international was one of the best goalkeepers in the top flight, Hughes said: "Yes - and the chief executive (Tony Scholes) won't thank me for saying that because it makes his negotiations more difficult!
"I think Jack has shown that over the games he has played this season. It is still early days - he hasn't had a period where his form has hit a plateau, which can happen with younger goalkeepers, so he is very mindful of that.
"But I think his manner and personality is very calm and that those periods will be few and far between."
Stoke go into the contest against struggling Newcastle looking to continue their return to form, which has seen them bounce back with two successive victories after a five-game sequence in which they lost 3-0 in the Premier League three times and exited two cup competitions.
Midfielder Glenn Whelan is expected to play despite breaking his nose in Saturday's match, with Hughes saying on Tuesday: "I'm not sure if he'll wear a protective mask - he started wearing one today and then threw it away!"
Marc Muniesa (hamstring) is likely to return to the Potters defence, while Geoff Cameron (ankle) and Phil Bardsley (calf) are being assessed.
Ryan Shawcross (back) is not yet ready for his comeback but Hughes says he is "very close".
January signing Jonjo Shelvey is likely to captain Newcastle in the absence of Fabricio Coloccini as they attempt to dig themselves out of a hole.
Head coach Steve McClaren has confirmed that Coloccini will miss the next two games with a calf injury sustained during the club's 18-day break from competitive action.
Shelvey wore the armband for the Magpies' 2-1 friendly victory over Lillestrom during their warm weather training camp at La Manga, and while McClaren declined to confirm whether he will do so again at the Britannia Stadium, he spoke warmly of the England international's leadership qualities.
He said: "The captain has to embody what you are trying to say, that's one of the reasons we brought Jonjo Shelvey into this club, because he epitomises what we want to achieve going forward.
"We need someone to drive this team and lead by example both playing and vocally. It will be interesting to see after a lot of criticism about the team, interesting to see how we cope without Colo and see who steps forward.
"We've talked a lot about bringing in characters with Shelvey and (Andros) Townsend. He's certainly been vocal. But it's about everybody and we've lacked that especially away from home, and that's one of the reasons we're not winning."
Newcastle head for the Potteries have scored just seven league goals and won twice on their travels all season, a return McClaren freely admits is simply not good enough.
He said: "Everyone is frustrated. You see fantastic individual performances one week and then the next week, it's the polar opposite. We go from looking like we can beat the likes of Arsenal or Chelsea one week and then concede five goals the next week. We've got to come to terms with that and put it right."
McClaren has been boosted by the return to training of a series of injured players during the break with Paul Dummett, Vurnon Anita, Siem de Jong, Papiss Cisse and Aleksandar Mitrovic all available.
Source: PAR
