Ireland agrees new Stoke deal

The prospects of Stephen Ireland returning to the international fold would appear to have improved further after the player’s immediate future at club level was settled.

Stoke City announced yesterday the Cobh man has signed a three-year deal at Britannia Stadium, with manager Mark Hughes — who also worked with Ireland at Manchester City — hailing the 27-year-old as “an outstanding player.”

For his part, Ireland said that he feels very much at home and wanted at Stoke after a period of stagnation at Aston Villa.