Hughes praise for Stoke debutant Haugaard

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The 23-year-old, signed from FC Midtyjlland for an undisclosed fee, made some good saves before the Potters eventually lost on penalties in the Barclays Asia Trophy.

Hughes has also brought in Shay Given as the club move on from the departure of Asmir Begovic to Chelsea, and he was impressed with the performance he saw in Singapore.

“I thought it was excellent,” he told Sky Sports. “He made three or four really key saves for us.

“I think he’s shown what we’ve seen in him.

“He’s got a calm head, his possession is good, his distribution is good, so we’re very happy with his performance, among many others.”

The game was Stoke’s first pre-season fixture, and they will play in Singapore again for the third-place play-off on Saturday.

Hughes said he was pleased the all-Premier League match meant there was some added competitiveness in Wednesday’s game.

“It was a really good workout for us – we’re delighted with that,” he added. There were some good performances out there as well.

“I thought our energy levels were good. First game of the new season, so still a long way to go in terms of fitness and where we need to be.

“I said on the sideline there’s always a little bit more of an edge, and I think that’s great to see from the guys – they’re professional, but competitive as well.

“I thought both teams really had that competitive edge that you want to see in pre-season friendlies.

“Sometimes these games just peter out, but I thought that was a good contest.