Former Stoke City defender Clive Clarke has suggested that the reason that James McClean has struggled for form this season is down to a lack of summer recruitment, with the 30-year-old being asked to play at left-back this term.

McClean has been shifted back to a full-back position during most of his seven appearances in the Championship this season, with Nathan Jones struggling to find a solution to Stoke's left-back issues, with Stephen Ward, who arrived from Premier League side Burnley in the summer, so far failing to make any real impression at the Bet365 Stadium.

Stoke allowed Erik Pieters to move to Burnley in the other direction in the summer, which is a decision that is looking ever more poor given the defender has already provided three assists this season in the English top flight, and that has left Jones' side exposed down the left-hand side of their defence, which has not helped the Potters who have conceded 22 league goals already.

A lot of those goals have come down McClean's side with the 30-year-old more used to supplying the deliveries than having to prevent them, which has seen him attract some criticism from Stoke's supporters at times.

However, speaking to the Stoke Sentinel Clarke has suggested that McClean is not to blame, and that the fault lies with poor summer recruitment, saying "Yes, I do feel a bit for James McClean because full back isn’t his natural position.

"He doesn’t see the threat and lets the opposition get in too many crosses from that side. I know a lot still has to happen after the cross, but too many goals have come from that side.

"But I do feel a bit sorry for him because it isn’t his position, yet he will always work 100 per cent for the team.

"Ultimately, he’s been sacrificed to play left back because no new left back was signed in the summer, which was a strange one for me."

The Verdict

Clarke is right to point out that it is not McClean's fault that he being asked to fill at left-back so far this season, with the Potters' decision making in the summer transfer window the main reason why Jones does not have a reliable player to call on in that position.

However, McClean is experienced enough to be able to learn from his mistakes and adapt to the left-back role, which so far he is struggling to do, and Stoke need the 30-year-old to show better levels of concentration when he is defending to prevent the amount of sloppy goals they are giving away in crucial moments in games.

McClean will likely be hoping like most Stoke supporters, that the club can bring in a new left-back in January, so that the Republic of Ireland international can get back to playing in his more natural position as a winger.