Stoke Boss Hughes Reveals Contract Extension Plan for 'Exceptional' Potters Ace Peter Crouch

Mark Hughes has admitted that he is ready to hand "exceptional" veteran Peter Crouch a contract extension before his deal ends next June.

The towering striker came off the bench against Brighton last Monday to set a new all-time Premier League record for the most substitute appearances by any player since the league's inception.

Following that 143rd outing from the sidelines, Crouch revealed his desire to keep playing top flight football for as long as possible - comments that Hughes agreed with in quotes published by ITV.

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The former goalscorer explained why he thought that the 36-year-old had plenty left in the tank ahead of any potential retirement plans before going on to state his wish to give Crouch a new deal in the coming weeks or months.

Hughes said: "I think people concentrate too much on his age, in terms of where he is in his career.

"It is a credit to him that he is playing at the level he is. I may be doing him a disservice saying he is 36, but he has at least two or three more years at this level. 

"We will more than likely offer him another deal very soon. We would like to think that he will be here for a long time - I will probably speak to him today about it actually.

"Peter is an exceptional player and a great guy as well."

Crouch is currently Stoke's top scorer this season with four strikes to his name, despite the ex-England international only starting two games this term - none of which have come in the league.

Crouch has bagged himself a tidy 57 goals in 211 appearances in Stoke colours since he moved to Staffordshire in August 2011, and his trademark nuisance value has ensured that the Potters have picked up hand points whenever he is thrown into the fray.

The Macclesfield-born footballer's current deal will expire next summer but, given Hughes' quotes, Crouch could be retained for at least another 12 months by his current employers.