Stoke boss Mark Hughes hoping Jack Butland will return from broken finger in less than a month

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Stoke boss Mark Hughes hopes goalkeeper Jack Butland could return less than a month after suffering a broken finger while on England duty.

The 24-year-old sustained the injury in training and missed the friendlies against Germany and Brazil.

It is the second time Butland has been hurt while away with England, as the keeper was sidelined for 13 months after breaking his ankle in a game against Germany in March 2016.

Jack Butland broke his finger in training and missed the friendlies against Germany and Brazil

Stoke boss Mark Hughes hopes that Butland could return to action in less than a month

The coincidence was not lost on Hughes, who nevertheless is confident this absence will be a brief one.

'He's a little bit disappointed, obviously,' said the Potters manager.

'He's getting these setbacks in terms of injuries, usually when international squads and Germany are involved, unfortunately for us. But we are hopeful it's going to resolve itself as quickly as possible.

'Clearly he's got a number of fractures in the finger. I have seen the X-ray. There's misplaced bones in there.

'We are reasonably confident that once it settles down and Jack gets to the point where he can manage the pain, more often than not you can get back playing and training.

'It's just about getting to that point. It could be three weeks. It could be four or five.' 

The 24-year-old had been expected to be out of action for up to six weeks