Stoke City defender Marc Wilson has expressed his delight over Jon Walters' decision to stay put at the Britannia Stadium.

With Walters entering the final year of his contract at Stoke, there had been speculation surrounding the midfielder's future - and Norwich City were keen.

Wilson told RTC: "He's a great lad and a big part of the Stoke team and the dressing room, so I'm glad he's still a Stoke player anyway.

"I was sending him a few text messages just to see how he was getting on, but obviously Stoke couldn't see eye-to-eye with any other clubs to get someone in to replace him, so it looks like Jon's a Stoke player for the rest of the year.

"He seems fine. I think he was just trying to look out for his own future. He's getting on a bit now and I think he was just trying to secure his own future for his family, so I don't see anything wrong with that.

"But he's a smashing guy to have around the place. In the dressing room, on the pitch, you know you are going to get 100 per cent with his attitude, determination - and he scores goals, so he's a great guy to have around.

"He's a big part of the Irish dressing room as well, a great character. All the things I said before, I could say them a million times. That's Jon Walters in a nutshell. He's a great guy to have in the camp."