Stoke City boss Tony Pulis says he's spoken with Michael Owen about his plans for retirement.

Pulis urged the ex-England hitman to take time over his next move.

The Stoke boss, 55, said: "I had a good 20-minute chat with Michael. He was adamant he wanted to retire and I respect everything he said.

"The worst thing was getting an injury early, it knocked him.

"If he'd had a good start, it would have been different. Now he needs to find some niche in his life where he's going to be happy and fulfil his potential.

"The transition is ever so difficult - it will be the biggest few months of his life."