Stoke City refused to give permission for Bolton Wanderers to use on-loan winger Thibuad Verlinden in their FA Cup first-round defeat to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, a report from The Bolton News has revealed.

 The 20-year-old was a late withdrawal from Wanderers' squad on Saturday at the behest of newly-appointed Stoke manager Michael O'Neill, meaning Verlinden can now be used by the Potters when they and the rest of the Championship's teams enter the competition at the third round stage in early January.

Speaking about the absence of Verlinden from the defeat to their League Two opponents, Hill told The Bolton News: “After they took the lead they became a dangerous counter-attacking team.

“They are good at sitting deep and then springing into a counter-attack with the striker. We fell into the trap, really, after the first 10-15 minutes. We became very laboured in possession.

“Would Thibaud have made a difference? Possibly. But we’ll never know. He’s eligible now for Stoke in the next round of the FA Cup.” 

Verlinden joined Bolton on-loan until January on the final day of the summer transfer window, and has already made a big impact for the League One side.

The Belgian has made eight appearances in all competitions for Wanderers so far this season, scoring twice, as Wanderers look to overhaul a 12 point deduction at the start of the season to pull off an unlikely great escape from relegation.

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The Verdict

This will be a big concern for Bolton.

The fact that Stoke have prevented Verinden from playing for Bolton, therefore keeping him available for themselves for when they enter the cup, clearly suggests they do not intend to allow him to return to Wanderers when his initial loan there expires in January.

Given his performances so far this season, that would be a big loss for Bolton, with Verlinden's creativity and eye for goal quickly making him a useful asset for Keith Hill's side.

The one benefit of this for Bolton however, is that it does mean they are aware of Stoke's stance with several weeks to go until Verlinden is due to return to the Potters, meaning they do at least have some time to look to source a replacement for the winger.