The Stoke goalkeeper may not be fit to play until the start of next season

Stoke City could end up footing a wage bill of more than £2 million for Jack Butland after Fifa stopped paying compensation to the club, even though the goalkeeper suffered his injury on international duty in March.

Fifa, under its club protection policy, has to cover the cost of a player’s wages during his rehabilitation if he injures himself playing for his country. Butland fractured his ankle playing for England in their 3-2 friendly win over Germany in Berlin last year.

The Stoke goalkeeper returned to training in November, but suffered a recurrence of the injury, forcing him to withdraw from his comeback game in the club’s under-23 team on December 3 and undergo another operation.

Butland fractured his ankle during England’s win over Germany last March CARL RECINE/REUTERS

He wrote on Instagram at the time: “Happy to