Adebayor is a ‘good guy’; he’ll shine for Palace – Hughes
Emmanuel Adebayor: Could face former manager on Saturday
Mark Hughes has backed Crystal Palace’s decision to sign Emmanuel Adebayor – and insists the Eagles are getting ‘one of the Premier League’s best strikers when on top form’.
Stoke’s Premier League rivals Palace – currently 11th in the table, two places and two points worse off than the Potters – could give a debut to Adebayor on Saturday after he joined them this week on a deal to the end of the season.
Adebayor last played a competitive match in May, the striker having been a free agent since his release from his contract with Tottenham in September, but doesn’t think it will take him long to return to match sharpness.
The 31-year-old former Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid man has a reputation for being problematic for the managers he is under.
But Hughes, who signed Adebayor for City, has praised the Togolese player and backed him to shine for Palace.
“He is a great player,” Hughes said.
“If you get him going and on fire, then he is a real handful.
“I had him at Man City. For whatever reason he seems to court a little bit of bad publicity about himself as a person and as a player, but I never really experienced it – I enjoyed working with him.
“I thought he was a good guy and played really well. He’s a top player and a good acquisition for Palace.”