Mark Hughes "grateful" to join Stoke City as new manager

Mark Hughes has admitted that he feels "grateful" to Stoke City for giving him the "opportunity" to become the club's new manager.

The 49-year-old was appointed as Tony Pulis's successor this morning on a three-year contract following six months out of work after getting sacked by Queens Park Rangers midway through last season.

"I'm absolutely delighted to get the opportunity," Hughes said in his first Stoke press conference. "I'm really grateful, I'm pleased that they've done the due diligence. They've looked maybe beyond my last position and taken my career as a manager as a whole. I get the opportunity to work with good people.

"With the passion in the area, this is very much a local club, very close to its community. Whenever I've been to Stoke as an opposition manager, the passion and the desire of the crowd for their team has been evident to me and I can't wait to get started."

Hughes's previous managerial stints at club level have been at Fulham, Manchester City at Blackburn Rovers.