growing influence at Stoke City after impressing
against Man City, says Mark Hughes.
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes believes Xherdan Shaqiri will
establish himself as a Premier League force after the winger
turned in an influential display in the 2-0 win over Manchester
City.
Former Bayern Munich man Shaqiri – selected in a side
boasting an array of attacking talent including ex-Barcelona duo
Ibrahim Afellay and Bojan Krkic – provided a pair of sumptuous
assists as Marko Arnautovic gave the hosts an early 2-0 lead at
the Britannia Stadium that Manuel Pellegrini's title hopefuls
could find no response to.
Hughes marvelled at a fine all-round performance from Shaqiri,
who he feels is getting to grips with the vagaries of England's
top flight.
"He was really effective in terms of his ball retention. He can
take people on in one-v-one situations but his quality of his
passing to pick people out in key areas of the field is something
that we'll benefit from," Hughes told a post-match news
conference.
"It's still early days for him but you see game-by-game now that
he's getting to grips with it.
"It doesn't matter who you are, when you come to a new league
then it's difficult. But more so when you come to the Premier
League.
"It's taken a lot of players aback when they've come here. But
he's getting to grips with it and is having the impact we know he
can do."
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