Stoke City have rejected an offer from Bolton Wanderers to take Thibaud Verlinden back on loan for the rest of the campaign, with the Potters set to keep hold of the winger, according to the Stoke Sentinel.

Verlinden had spent the first half of the campaign on loan with Bolton in League One, and he managed to provide a much-needed attacking outlet for Keith Hill’s side down the flanks, managing to register three goals and two assists in 15 appearances during his spell with the club.

The winger was recalled by Michael O’Neill earlier this month with Stoke lacking options in the wide positions, and the Northern Irishman has had Verlinden in and around the match day squad since his return from Bolton, with the 20-year-old featuring against Millwall and Brentford since his return.

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O’Neill is thought to be keen to keep Verlinden in his squad for the rest of the campaign to provide some extra depth and quality in the wide positions, and push the likes of Tom Ince and James McClean for a starting place in the side.

The verdict

This certainly seems like the sensible thing for Stoke to be doing, with the Potters needing to add to their options in the wide area if anything before the window closes, and O’Neill will be hoping that Verlinden can continue to impress when give the chance over the rest of the campaign.

The winger showed during his loan spell at Bolton that he has the ability to make a real difference in the final third, and it is little surprise to see that Bolton have been interested in attempting to bring the 20-year-old back to the club on loan for the rest of the campaign.

Verlinden will now need to concentrate on tying to fight for his place in the side, and the Potters could be reliant on the winger to feature heavily during the rest of the season of they do not manage to bring in any more players in the wide areas on Deadline Day.

O’Neill appears to have been impressed by the winger’s performances in training since his return, and you would expect he will be given more chances to feature for the Potters as the season progresses, which will be vital for his continued development.