Thursday 15 January 2015 17:55, UK
Stoke manager Mark Hughes says he is hoping to send Robert Huth out on loan but added that the German defender definitely has a future with the Potters.
Huth has only made one Premier League appearance since he suffered a knee injury in November 2013 and he was not in the Stoke squad for Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Arsenal.
The 30-year-old is also facing an FA charge of aggravated misconduct following comments which he made on social media.
However, Hughes says Huth can force his way back into the first-team set-up if he performs well during a potential loan spell.
"I've had discussions with Robert and I think it is fair to say he needs games,” said Hughes.
"We are looking to try to get him that, if we can. It needs to be at the right club, and needs to be the right opportunity for Robert himself.
"We want to get games into him so he is fit and ready for us.
If we can find the right team for him, hopefully he'll get five or six games, and then he can come back to us and be ready to go again.
"Under-21 games probably are not the right environment for him as a senior player, so he needs to get out and play games of meaning.
"If we can find the right team for him, hopefully he'll get five or six games, and then he can come back to us and be ready to go again."
Huth has deleted his allegedly indecent remarks on Twitter, also posting an apology, and Hughes added: “There is an issue with social media and football players, or any person in the public eye, and you have to be very careful.
"If you say anything or get involved in things that other people have an issue with, then there is a possibility you will get pulled up on it and the FA will get involved, and that is the situation we find ourselves in.
"Robert was very quickly mindful of people being upset, so he apologised immediately, took the posts down and we hoped that would be the end of it.
"But obviously the FA has looked at it and think he needs to explain his actions, so I think that process is ongoing and we will see where it leads."
Hughes has indicated that he is looking to sign a wide man while the transfer window is open and he has been linked with Aaron Lennon of Tottenham.
"I'm not sure about his situation,” said Hughes. “And the situation of players changes in this month, it seems, on a daily basis.
"We'll look at opportunities and, if they make sense to us, we have areas of the team we think we can improve if we can get the right players in.
"But, for the time being, we have to keep our cards close to our chest."
However, Hughes did dismiss the idea of signing Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko.
"I can tell you straight - there would be interest if it was ever viable,” said Hughes. “But it is not one we could ever contemplate doing unfortunately."
