Stoke new boy quick to reveal admiration for Michael O’Neill

Dan Butterfield

Stoke City’s new signing Jordan Thompson has revealed that he is full of admiration for his new boss and insists he’s ready and waiting to make his first start for the Potters.

The 23-year-old has already made two appearances from the bench since joining from League One side Blackpool in the January transfer window, but three games in a week for Stoke means that Thompson could make his first start this weekend.

 

“You’ve got to be (ready). We trained again today (Thursday) and the boys who played did a bit of a recovery session and I think everyone is ready to go. If I’m called upon, I’ll be ready,” he said in an interview with the Stoke Sentinel.

“You always want to try and get in the team as soon as possible and whenever I get on the pitch I have to try and make things happen and impress.

“It’s important for myself to get in and get a good performance under my belt, but the priority at the end of the day is the three points and we will go down there to try and get maximum points.”

 

The Northern Ireland international has been full of praise for Michael O’Neill, who he knows well from the national team set up, saying: “The manager has been brilliant with me.

“Even the younger boys coming into the team, he trusts us and watches us every day in training and, if he trusts us, he’s happy enough to throw us on the pitch.

“That’s probably the biggest thing for me, working with him, he trusted me, and if you’re doing the work on the training pitch he’ll reward you.

“The manager was a big factor in me coming, having worked with him with Northern Ireland, and the club here is massive.

“Obviously we are in a sticky situation at the minute, but I think we’ve got the quality in the dressing room to get out of it. We have to look after ourselves, not look at the teams below us.

“As soon as I heard it was the gaffer in for me, it was a no brainer.

“I’ve been in a good couple of weeks now and getting used to the club has been good.”

Stoke travel to QPR on Saturday on the back of a 2-0 defeat at Preston on Wednesday. The Potters find themselves in 21st place in the league, four points above the relegation zone.