Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has urged Ryan Shawcross to stay patient over new contract talks.
Shawcross has just over 12 months left on the six-year contract he signed back in 2012 and a recent report linking him to Newcastle this summer has accelerated talk over his future at Stoke.
“Clearly we haven't started talks," he acknowledged. “I don't think we as a club enter into negotiations sooner than 12 months from the end.
“Some clubs do it when players have got two years left, and we don't seem to do that.
“Sometimes that can help the players, because sometimes more power goes to the player the closer you get to the end. There are two ways to look at it."