Tony Pulis is poised to hand Matthew Upson his debut against FC Thun after being impressed with his attitude.
Former England international ready to begin his career with Stoke
Stoke boss Tony Pulis is poised to hand Matthew Upson his debut against FC Thun after being impressed with his attitude since joining the club.
The Potters face the Swiss outfit in the first leg of their Europa League clash on an artificial pitch in Switzerland.
Jonathan Woodgate, who is Pulis' only other signing so far this summer, has featured against Hajduk Split and Chelsea so far this term.
The arrival of two international central defenders has injected added class and experience into the squad.
Utilise
And it is something Pulis is keen to utilise. Having played two games in quick succession, Pulis is wary of letting Woodgate play on the plastic pitch considering his history with injuries.
But in Upson, he has a replacement that he can call on, who can match his team-mate for experience.
"Matthew is exactly the same as Jonathan, he just needs football," said Pulis.
"His attitude has been absolutely brilliant. With players who have played at that level and have been that good the one thing most of them have is a great attitude.
Believe
"You wouldn't believe these two have just walked into our place; they have settled in so well and knuckled down to what we do."
He added: "If you speak to the staff and players Woodgate and Upson have been absolutely fantastic since they walked through the door.
"Upson is very much in my thoughts for tomorrow. We'll sit down and go through and try to work out a system where we give ourselves the best chance to win while also being able to rest one or two."
