On 29 July 2015 Stoke announced that Wilkinson had signed a short-term contract with the club in order to help him recover from a serious head injury he sustained playing against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup. Wilkinson later revealed his injury had caused some damage to his brain. Wilkinson announced his retirement from football in February 2016.
In July 2015, Stoke City signed Wilkinson on a short-term contract to help him recover from a severe head injury sustained during an FA Cup match against Blackburn Rovers.  Wilkinson later revealed that the injury had resulted in brain damage and he retired from football in February 2016.