Mark Hughes believes there is more to come from Xherdan Shaqiri
Thursday 27 October 2016 11:20, UK
Stoke boss Mark Hughes believes there is even more to come from Xherdan Shaqiri this season after his impressive double against Hull last weekend.
The Swiss international scored two fine goals as the Potters secured back-to-back victories in the Premier League after going without a win in their opening seven matches.
Next up for Stoke is Swansea on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, and manager Hughes has been impressed by Shaqiri's start to the season but always expected the midfielder to add more goals to his game.
"Some people used to say that I wasn't a great goalscorer but the ones I scored were great goals so I just tried to throw that analogy in and I think it probably applies to Shaq," Hughes said.
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"Last year he didn't score as many as maybe he thought he should have done, and we probably agreed with him last year, for the talent that he has he probably needed to score more goals, but I think he has matched that total already in four or five games.
"So the feeling is that there is more to come from Shaq. He looks like he has got to grips with the Premier League and, as a consequence, he's more positive in games."
Hughes has also backed Wilfried Bony to open his Stoke account against former club Swansea with the 27-year-old yet to find the net in seven games.
"Wilf is getting better; in every game he's having more of an impact," he said. "Clearly we want him to start hitting the back of the net and that's what Wilf wants himself. He's a little bit frustrated at the moment because that's clearly the part of his game that he wants to make an impression with.
"Up to this point he hasn't been able to do it but maybe against his old team that's the game that's going to get him off and running.
"You think of the amount of time that happens, when a former player comes back and haunts you as a manager and, you never know, Wilf might be able to do that to Swansea. Let's hope so."
Peter Crouch has struggled for first team football this season having played just three games in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute twice. He tweeted earlier this week that he only gets to play on a video game but Hughes has no plans to let the 35-year-old leave the club.
"From past experience Pete is quite sharp on Twitter so I always keep a lookout once people tell me he has been on there. Usually it is quite amusing," Hughes said. "It is probably true; he is a little bit frustrated. We are winning games and playing well so it is difficult to break in.
"I'm not thinking in those terms [letting him leave]. He clearly gives us a different type of threat and the key is to have different types of player to give the opposition different types of problems and when you look at all our strikers they all offer different things at different times in games."
Watch Stoke v Swansea on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm.
