Stoke grant Jese Rodriguez compassionate leave as loan ends
Wednesday 2 May 2018 06:11, UK
Jese Rodriguez has been given compassionate leave until the end of the season for personal reasons, bringing an end to his loan spell at Stoke.
The Spanish forward arrived at the bet365 Stadium last summer from French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain but, after a promising start for Stoke, struggled for form and has not played for the club since an 11-minute substitute appearance against Everton in March.
Rodriguez is understood to have failed to report for training at the Premier League strugglers since his most recent spell of compassionate leave to visit his sick son in Spain.
A club statement read: "In order to respond to recent press speculation surrounding Jesé Rodriguez, we would like to confirm that the Club has given Jesé permission to take unpaid compassionate leave until the end of the season for personal reasons and therefore he will not be returning to Stoke during his loan period."
The former Real Madrid player was described as an "elite player" by former Stoke manager Mark Hughes on his arrival but has not managed a goal since his debut strike against Arsenal last August and has only featured in eight games all season.
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Stoke, who are three points adrift of safety, will hope to maintain their hopes of retaining their Premier League status when they host Crystal Palace on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Premier League, with only two games left of their campaign.
