BUTLAND TOLD TO FOCUS ON DAY JOB

JACK BUTLAND has been urged to concentrate on keeping Stoke in the Premier League before worrying about the World Cup. The 24-year-old goalkeeper committed a rare howler on Saturday to let Leicester equalise, allowing Marc Albrighton’s cross to squirm through his hands and cancel out Xherdan Shaqiri’s opener. The draw left Stoke second from bottom of the Premier League table and a point from safety. Asked about Butland’s prospects of being included in England’s World Cup squad, team-mate Joe Allen said: ‘I don’t really care, to be honest with you. I want Jack in goal for Stoke and performing for us and that is it.’ Butland went on to pull off superb saves to deny Riyad Mahrez and Harry Maguire. Allen believes those stops showed that Butland did not allow the error to affect him. ‘It says a lot about his character. He made a brilliant save to keep it at 1-1 and there is certainly no blame being placed on him from us.’ Leicester’s Maguire is sure to be on the plane to Russia this summer and his captain, Wes Morgan, claimed the 24-year-old is England’s best defender. ‘I see the rest of the competition and he’s as good if not better than the boys who might be in front of him,’ said Morgan. ‘I’m sure he will be a regular in the starting line-up for England.’ Leicester manager Claude Puel said it was a pleasure having Mahrez back in the team and on song after he had made his first Premier League start since his transfer to Manchester City collapsed. ‘All that is behind us,’ said Puel. ‘He came back into the team with pleasure and is enjoying his football.’

LEICESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Schmeichel 7; Simpson 6 (Iheanacho 62min, 6), Morgan 6, Maguire 7, Chilwell 6; Ndidi 5, James 7; Mahrez 7, Albrighton 6, Gray 5 (Diabate 61, 6); Vardy 6. Subs not used: Silva, Dragovic, Jakupovic, Iborra, Fuchs. Scorer: Butland 71 (og). Booked: Albrighton. Manager: Claude Puel 7. STOKE CITY (4-3-3): Butland 6; Bauer 7, Zouma 7, Martins Indi 7 (Adam 74, 6), Stafylidis 7; Cameron 7, Ndiaye 7, ALLEN 7.5; Shaqiri 8, Diouf 6 (Campbell 64, 7), Choupo-Moting 7 (Johnson 84). Subs not used: Pieters, Jese, Sobhi, Grant. Scorer: Shaqiri 44. Booked: Allen, Diouf, Adam. Manager: Paul Lambert 8. Referee: Michael Oliver 7. Attendance: 31,679.