Stoke City midfielder Ryan Woods has suggested that his ability to perform for the Potters was impacted by the club’s changes in management over the last season-and-a-half, with the 26-year-old looking to get back on track on loan at Millwall.

Woods secured a move to Millwall on loan until the end of the season in January, in a move which has seen the midfielder link-up with Gary Rowett who signed the 26-year-old for the Potters back in the summer of 2018 – and the Stoke loanee has so far made three Championship appearances for the Lions so far.

The 26-year-old arrived at the Bet365 Stadium with a growing reputation following his performances for Brentford in the Championship, but after Rowett’s departure the midfielder found it difficult to establish himself as a regular for the Potters under either Nathan Jones or Michael O’Neill.

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Speaking to the London News Online, Woods suggested that his struggles at Stoke were somewhat down to the club changing managers and left him needing to make a move to Millwall to get back on track, saying: "I don’t want to come across as a victim, but it probably did take its toll. Managers came in, things happened and things got said – in the end it didn’t work out.

"It’s strange. The club paid a lot of money for me. I came in and played every week under the manager here – he made me captain after three or four games. That showed the belief he had in me really.

"If every footballer is honest, they thrive under that commitment and someone who wants you to do well.

"After that, things didn’t really work under the previous manager (Jones). Michael O’Neill came in and was really honest with me from the start – that’s what I said I wanted. I played the first six games. I didn’t feel I did too badly. It just kept being a bit of a vicious circle. It didn’t work out the way I and, I’m sure, the club wanted it to."

The Verdict

It has been a strange situation for Woods at Stoke, with the midfielder having been bought by the Potters from Brentford for a sizeable fee following their relegation to the Premier League, in the hope that he would come in and stamp his authority over their midfield.

However, despite getting off to a decent start to his time with the Potters under Rowett, the 26-year-old never really seemed to display his best form for Stoke, and following Rowett’s departure he found himself struggling to make any impression on Jones, who froze Woods out of the side for most of his time in charge.

Woods was provided with a second chance at Stoke by O’Neill, who put him back in the starting line-up when he first arrived, but following a few bad results the Northern Irishman elected to drop the 26-year-old to the bench, which would have been the point where the midfielder knew he needed a move away.

The midfielder has made a solid start to his time at Millwall, and you would expect him to be an important member of the Lions squad for the rest of the season, and it will then be interesting to see what happens with his long-term future in the summer.