Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill has suggested that Nick Powell could become a key part of the Potters’ starting line-up over the rest of the season following his recent performances.

Powell has endured a mixed start to life at the Bet365 Stadium having arrived at Stoke in the summer, and the attacking midfielder has found himself in and out of the side at times due to a mixture of inconsistent form and injury troubles.

However, Powell was brought into the starting line-up by O’Neill for Stoke’s 5-2 win at Huddersfield Town on New Year’s Day and he also started at Brentford in the FA Cup at the weekend, with the Northern Irishman altering his 4-3-3 system to accommodate the 25-year-old's more creative presence in the number ten position.

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Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel, O’Neill suggested that Powell’s performances in the last two games could have earnt him a regular place in the starting line-up for the rest of the campaign, saying: "I can only comment on Nick in terms of how I’ve worked with him, but I did see Nick from day one as ... he’s not a lazy player and he has great athleticism.

"The work-rate he put in was terrific (at Brentford), terrific at Huddersfield as well, and you look at his quality, too, and when you combine the two you have a top player.

"I think everyone knows what Nick’s potential is and hopefully we see that going forward at Stoke City because the first part of the season was stop/start with injury initially.

"And then in the opening period with me his opportunities were limited off the bench. But I think when we changed the system a little bit it suited him and he’s certainly taken his chance."

The Verdict

Powell endured a fairly miserable first half of the season following his summer move to Stoke, with the midfielder often finding himself out of the starting line-up under Nathan Jones, and struggling to make a real impact on the side when he was given the chance to play.

However, O’Neill appears to have been working with Powell on the training ground and has found a way of getting strong performances out of the attacking midfielder, with the Northern Irishman giving him the chance to start in his favoured number ten position in the last two games.

So far Powell has certainly taken his chance to impress, and it is now vital that he manages to produce the type of performances he is capable of on a consistent basis during the second half of the season, which could be key to helping Stoke secure their Championship status.