Hughes insists Crouch is still a vital player for Stoke

REUTERS - Striker Peter Crouch is still an invaluable member of the Stoke City team despite his limited playing time this season, manager Mark Hughes has said. Crouch has dropped down the pecking order behind the likes of Bojan Krkic and Marko Arnautovic and has made just three Premier League starts this term, but played a key role in Saturday's 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Sunderland. The 35-year-old set up Arnautovic for Stoke's opening goal, and Hughes praised his attitude and said he wasn't surprised by the work ethic he had shown. "Peter was really influential against Sunderland," the manager said. "I was really pleased with his performance." Crouch is yet to score in the Premier League this term, but Hughes indicated that his barren spell was down to a lack of first team opportunities. "I've disappointed him this season because we've brought players in and I've given players game time ahead of him just because they needed integrating into the Premier League," Hughes added. "Peter has probably missed out on a number of occasions as a consequence of that, but whenever you call upon him he still gives everything he's got," he said. "He's always played the same way -- he's not lacking pace because he's never had it. I was really pleased with him against Sunderland but I wasn't surprised." Stoke are 10th in the league table and round off their campaign with a visit to Crystal Palace on Saturday before hosting West Ham United in their final game of the season. (Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)