England international goalkeeper Jack Butland is prepared to leave Stoke City on loan and drop down to the Championship in order to gain more first-team experience.
Butland's transfer from Birmingham City to the Potters was agreed in January and he was sent back to St Andrew's for the remainder of the 2012-2013 campaign to continue his development.
With Asmir Begovic first choice under Mark Hughes at the Britannia Stadium, Butland has revealed that he would happily go out on loan again, even to a second-tier club, if it would guarantee him regular playing time.
"It is difficult because I want to be playing," he told Sky Sports News. "But it's also been a realisation that I've got to picture myself and say, I'm 20 years old, I'm not old, I'm a very, very young goalkeeper in terms of playing in the Premier League, even in the Championship.
"I've got to maybe say 'okay' and sit back and see what's going, but I need to continue playing games. If playing in the Premier League doesn't happen this year, then I will be fighting and giving everything I've got to be playing next year.
"We'll see what happens and if a loan move is the right thing to do, then that will happen. I just need to do the right thing for my development and my career, which is play games. We will see what is the best option and go from there."
Butland has been capped once by England, and also kept goal for Great Britain's football team during the London 2012 Olympics.
Joe Fish
