Hughes offers Hitzfeld Stoke invite after Shaqiri comments

Mark Hughes has offered Xherdan Shaqiri’s former national coach Ottmar Hitzfeld an invitation to watch Stoke City after the German labelled the club “unexciting”.

Hitzfeld, who coached Shaqiri during his spell as Switzerland boss, claimed the playmaker is simply using Stoke as a springboard to a move elsewhere.

But Hughes, speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Burnley, said: “Shaq knows the environment he is working in.

“Yes he has been to clubs like Bayern Munich and Inter Milan but on a day-to-day basis he doesn’t see any change in what we give him.

“Maybe the resources are greater in scale and their operation is greater but in terms of what he needs, it is no different here and he can excel and flourish.

“There are a lot of players who like being able to say they are ‘Shaqiri of Inter’ or ‘Shaqiri of Bayern Munich’ but they are not playing so they are not part of that.

“Shaqiri loves it here and he loves the Premier League and you don’t do that if you’re not enjoying it.

“Maybe he [Hitzfeld] should have spoken to Shaq before he came out with that comment

“Maybe he needs to come to the game at the weekend and experience a match to see the excitement and energy of Premier League football and Stoke’s football and I am sure he would enjoy it.

“So here’s an open invitation for him to enjoy it.”