Dale Eve, the Bermuda goalkeeper, was one of three Stoke City academy players who travelled with the first-team squad to Dubai for some warm-weather training this week.

Stoke, the Barclays Premier League side, took advantage of their fixture break to head to the most expensive city in the Middle East for a few days ahead of their FA Cup fourth-round match away to Sky Bet League One side Rochdale on Monday.

Eve, who was briefly on loan at non-League side Newcastle Town this season, joined midfielders Oliver Shenton and Eddy Lecygne in Dubai where the team had free time to relax, played golf and visited shopping malls as well as train.

With Sorensen, the Stoke second-choice goalkeeper, set to retire at the end of the season, Jack Butland, the England player, linked with a move away from the Britannia Stadium, and Dan Bachmann on loan with Vanarama Conference side Wrexham, the trip presented Eve with an opportunity to prove to Mark Hughes, the Stoke manager, that he does not need to buy another goalkeeper.

Hughes’s squad were scheduled to return to the Potteries yesterday.

Eve, the 19-year-old former Dandy Town youth team player played one reserve-team match for Sky Bet League Two side Fleetwood Town and Skrill Premier team Nuneaton Town last season.

He was awarded with a two-year deal last summer despite the amount of time he spent playing second fiddle to Bachmann, the first-choice under-21 goalkeeper.

Eve became one of youngest players to represent Bermuda when he appeared as a substitute in a 2-1 win over Barbados in a World Cup qualifier in 2011 at the age of 16.

He has been named in coach Andrew Bascome’s training squad for the upcoming home and away first-round qualifying games against Bahamas in March.