Stoke City striker Peter Crouch has backed the club's decision to spend a short break in Dubai.

After their early exit from the FA Cup, Stoke were left without a Premier League fixture for over two weeks and manager Mark Hughes opted to take his squad for a spell of warm-weather training.

The Potters are due to return to England on Wednesday, and Crouch is confident that the team will reap the benefits during the final months of the campaign.

The 36-year-old told the club's official website: "It's nice to get a little break and whenever we have done it, we've returned to good effect so it has certainly worked for us in the past.

"It was important we got the win in our last game and we came into this break in buoyant mood. If we came here after losing, the mood isn't so great.

"Thankfully, we did that and there are plenty of smiles on faces, so we're working hard and looking forward to our game at the weekend. Hopefully, like in the last few seasons, we can return fresher and go on another positive run by winning as many games as we can."

Stoke make the trip to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.