Erik Pieters fined two weeks' wages for night out before Stoke's defeat to Everton

Stoke left-back Erik Pieters has been fined two weeks' wages for breaking a club curfew, Sky Sports News understands.

The 29-year-old will lose around £70,000 after going out to a Manchester nightclub on the eve of the Potters' 2-1 defeat to Everton.

Manager Paul Lambert had planned to start Pieters in the game at the Bet365 Stadium, but opted for Kostas Stafylidis after learning that Pieters had been at the nightclub with his wife on the Friday night.

There is no suggestion Pieters was drinking alcohol, but Lambert was determined to stick by his squad rule that no player can attend a social event at which alcohol is served within a 48-hour period leading up to a game.

Cenk Tosun scored either side of an Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting goal as the defeat kept Stoke second-bottom of the Premier League with seven games to go.

Netherlands international Pieters has been a Stoke player since joining from PSV Eindhoven in 2013, and has made 175 appearances for the club.