Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has talked up the value of veteran striker Peter Crouch, insisting that he is 'as adept as he has ever been'.

The 35-year-old has been linked with an exit from the Britannia in recent months, with his contract due to expire at the end of the season, but penned a one-year extension to his deal last week.

The news means that Crouch will remain with the Potters until the age of 37, but Hughes says that his performances on the pitch prove that his age is irrelevant.

"He is a credit to himself, his family and his profession," he told reporters at his Friday morning press conference. "What has happened is that people have looked at his age and questioned whether we should be re-contracting a player of his age, but he has shown that he is still as adept at this level as he has ever been.

"I felt it would be crazy to allow him to leave, because I knew he could still affect games in the Premier League. He is in the team on merit now - he comes in does his work and allows himself the chance to show everybody how good a player he is. His strengths aren't diminishing."

Crouch has scored three goals in 13 Premier League appearances - eight as a substitute - for Stoke this term and is now just one goal short of reaching 100 in the Premier League.