Stephen Ireland handed six-month Stoke City contract

Stoke City have handed Stephen Ireland a six-month contract in a bid to prove his fitness.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder missed the entirety of the 2016-17 campaign after breaking his leg last May, and it had been thought that the 30-year-old would be released on a free transfer ahead of the new season.

Stoke have offered Ireland the chance to prove his fitness, however, with a six-month deal.

"Stephen has been forced to put his career on hold after suffering a very serious injury in training through no fault of his own," Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes told reporters.

"He's working incredibly hard to get himself back to full fitness and we felt that it was only right to offer him a short-term contract to give him peace of mind while he continues with that process. Stephen is grateful for the support we have shown him and we look forward to hopefully seeing him pull on a Stoke City shirt again in the near future."

Ireland, who started his professional career with Manchester City in 2005, joined Stoke on a permanent deal from Aston Villa in 2014 after a short loan period at the Britannia Stadium.