Xherdan Shaqiri was a steal, says Stoke boss Mark Hughes

Stoke manager Mark Hughes believes Xherdan Shaqiri is making his £12million transfer fee look like a bargain.

The playmaker became Stoke's record signing when they pulled off a coup by singing him from Inter Milan in the summer of 2015.

Shaqiri struggled for consistency during his first two seasons but has made more of an impact this campaign, scoring twice and providing four direct assists.

Live MNF

Speaking ahead of Monday night's game against Brighton, which is live on Sky Sports, Hughes said of the fee: "In the current market it doesn't look a significant amount. For us it was still significant money.

"But you'd have to say - not that we are encouraging or advocating that we want to sell him - he'd be worth a hell of a lot more than that if he was back in the market.

"We've all seen the difference in his decision-making and its impact on the team. Sometimes maybe through the (previous) seasons that sustained impact wasn't quite there.

"It was all about getting used to the Premier League obviously, and understanding who he was up against. He is taking on more the role of the main instigator of our attacking threat.

"I think the whole team responds to that, you sense that maybe something's going to happen. I think the crowd senses it as well, and I know opposition teams sense it too.

"Since he's come back in pre-season, he's been first class. I don't know what it is but he came back with a real focus of making sure he was going to have a good season. And he's sustained it."

Shaqiri's next challenge will be the game against Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Monday. Stoke are 15th in the table and three points above the bottom three.