Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill has played down the prospect of midfielder Sam Clucas leaving the club during the summer transfer window.

Clucas has seen his game time limited for Stoke this season, with calf and hernia problems limiting his first-team opportunities.

There has also been speculation that the 30-year-old could be moved on by the Potters this summer, as they update their squad in the hopes of pushing back towards the Premier League.

Now however, it seems as though that is something that O'Neill is not expecting to happen as thing stand.

Speaking about the possibility of Clucas leaving the club at the end of this season, the Stoke boss was quoted by The Stoke Sentinel as saying: “I wouldn’t say that. We have to look at the squad as a whole – and it’s not Championship Manager for me, it’s a football team and players have contracts.

“Sam was terrific for us last season and we’d be a stronger team if he was fit and available for us as much as we could have had him last season. So that's not on my mind no."

Since joining Stoke from Swansea back in the summer of 2018, Clucas has made a total of 93 appearances in all competitions for the Potters, scoring 15 goals and providing ten assists in that time.

There are currently just over 12 months remaining on Clucas' contract with Stoke, securing his future at the Bet365 Stadium until the end of next season.

The Verdict

I do think this seems to be a sensible stance for Stoke to take over Clucas.

Despite his injury problems this season, Clucas is still a player that has shown he can make a useful impact for the Potters when fit.

As a result, it could make sense for them to keep him around for a bit longer yet, to give him the chance to show he can still do that once he recovers.

However, if they are to do that, then you feel Stoke may need to look to secure a new contract for the midfielder, since they do not want to risk losing him for nothing when his current deal expires at the end of next season.