Mark Hughes has insisted that he is "delighted" to see Bojan Krkic back at Stoke City and has vowed to give the attacker another chance to shine.

The 26-year-old fell out of favour at the bet365 Stadium last season and was sent on loan to Mainz 05, where he managed a goal and an assist in eight appearances.

Bojan's time in the Potteries looked to be up at one stage, but chief executive Tony Scholes made clear last month that the former Barcelona product remained a part of Stoke's plans for the future.

Hughes has now echoed these thoughts, revealing that the attacking midfielder is looking in good shape upon his return to the club this week.

"We all have a lot of feelings for Bojan, and it was great to see him back here this morning," he told City's official website. "Although it didn't quite work out for him here last year we have to remember that he was still coming back from a serious injury.

"We are six months down the line now though, and I think that he is in a far better place having played games during the second half of last season.

"He had a nice sharp session this morning and we all saw his quality technical ability, which always comes to the fore to be perfectly honest. We are delighted he is back and we will see how the season goes now - we feel he will have a good season for us."

Bojan joined Stoke from Barcelona for an undisclosed fee in July 2014, having also previously represented Roma, AC Milan and Ajax.