?Stoke City boss Mark Hughes was left frustrated after a difficult Premier League encounter with Slaven Bilic’s tenacious West Ham at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday, where the tie ended in 0-0 stalemate.
Hughes, speaking to the media via Stoke Sentinel,
“Clearly we were the more dominant team,” he claimed, “and the team trying to break down a resolute West Ham defence.
“We still made chances and created any number of moments with balls flashing across the box and the keeper making saves.”
After a lengthy 12-month spell on the sideline for Potters’ keeper Jack Butland, Hughes continued to heap the praise on the England international, insisting that he is ‘delighted’ with his two performances in the last two weeks:
“But when you have got a lot of dominance, the opposition can break and that’s when you need a top-class goalkeeper making match-defining saves and the top clubs have keepers like Jack.
“We are delighted with the two performances he’s put in. It’s taken him 12 months to get him back and we are delighted he’s showing the form he was showing prior to the injury itself.”
When asked about Butland’s enthusiasm and aspiration in representing his country, Hughes proceeded by saying:
“He enjoys the England set-up. But first things first. We are just two games into his return, so we have to be a little bit careful and we were caught out just prior to the season kicking off.
“I know Jack’s focus is on being right for Stoke City, but his ambition is to be number one for England.
“I know Gareth was here and that was predominantly to see Jack. He will be as grateful as ourselves that he saw that performance.”
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