Stoke City's new manager Michael O'Neill is likely to be facing some huge decisions in the forthcoming January transfer window, as he looks to stamp his authority on the club and bring in players to suit his style of play.

On Saturday O'Neill secured a 4-2 win at Barnsley in his first match in charge of the club, and he made a number of key decisions during that game which offers a suggestion to how he is wanting to set his side up going forward, with the 50-year-old making six changes and electing to change to a 4-3-3 formation.

That saw both Tom Ince and James McClean recalled to the side in the wide positions and the pair were able to help the Potters retain better width to stretch Barnsley's defence - and in general Stoke's attacking play was much improved on what they have been producing so far, reflected in the fact they scored more than twice in a game for this first time this term.

One key decision that O'Neill will need to make in the January transfer window will be whether to recall winger Thibaud Verlinden from his loan spell at League One Bolton Wanderers, and the new Stoke boss should certainly be looking to get the 20-year-old back to the Bet365 Stadium for the second half of the campaign.

The winger has been an impressive performer for Bolton in very challenging circumstances, with the League One side having to deal with a points deduction and a restructure of the squad following financial problems at the start of the season.

Verlinden has been influential in helping Bolton start to gain some consistency on the pitch and start to pose an attacking threat to give themselves the chance to pick up results, with the 20-year-old scoring twice in seven league appearances so far since making the loan move.

The attackers quality in possession and ability to carry the ball forwards to create problems on the counter, has been evident during his time at Bolton, and suggests that he offers the sort of qualities in the final third of the pitch that Stoke have been lacking during the opening months of the campaign.

Given it appears that O'Neill is likely to settle on the 4-3-3 formation which worked against Barnsley on Saturday, Verlinden could be an excellent option to have in the squad, with the winger perfect for one of the wide positions in the front three and he would be able to provide competition for Ince and McClean.

Therefore, it seems highly likely that O'Neill will look to recall him in January and make him a key member of his squad, and if he does do that it will then be up to Verlinden to show he has the quality to earn a regular starting place in Stoke's side during the second half of the campaign.