• Stoke midfielder has lengthy gash from Maynor Figueroa tackle• Tackle could have ended Ireland’s career, says Mark HughesA gruesome image has emerged showing the Stoke midfielder Stephen Ireland’s injured leg shortly after the tackle his manager Mark Hughes said could have ended the player’s career.Just before the interval of Stoke’s 1-0 Premier League home win over Hull on Saturday, Ireland was on the receiving end of a rash-looking challenge from the Hull City defender Maynor Figueroa and he was substituted at half-time.