Jese leaves Stoke City to be with his ill baby son

Former Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez who was been punished by Stoke City after leaving the bench early during their game against Swansea last weekend, has been allowed leave of absence to be with his sick baby son.

Jese walked out of the stadium last week and was not available against Tottenham on Saturday as he was in the Canary Islands to be with baby son Nyan who was born prematurely and is fighting for his life in hospital.

"He made a mistake. He's been disciplined for that," said Stoke gaffer Mark Hughes, referring to the previous incident. "He understands it wasn't the right decision at that time.

[Has he apologised?] Not in so many words because his English isn't great but he understands that it was incorrect.

"It's been addressed, we've obviously highlighted what he needs to do in the future. He's a little bit frustrated, he wants to play, as all players do."