Stoke City chairman Peter Coates has revealed that defender Robert Huth is "unlikely" to feature again for the Potters this season.

The 29-year-old has been out of action since having a knee operation back in November.

There were reports that the German centre-back has been close to making his long-awaited return to first-team action, but Coates believes that Huth has played his last game for Stoke in this campaign.

"It is my understanding that it is very unlikely he will feature again this season," the Stoke Sentinel quotes Coates as saying. "If that is the case, then all the focus now is getting him ready for next season."

Stoke are currently 12th in the Premier League table with nine games left to play.