This article is part of Football League World's 'Player View' series, this content strand is where we put ourselves in the shoes of a given player, and offer opinion-based outlook on the perspective on the situation at hand...

Stoke City defender Stephen Ward will surely be concerned over his future at the Bet365 Stadium, following the latest report that the Potters are interested in making a move for Middlesbrough left-back George Friend in January, according to the Northern Echo.

Michael O'Neill elected to keep Ward in the side, with the experienced left-back having earned a rare start against West Bromwich Albion, for the trip to Barnsley on Saturday which saw the Potters secure a much-needed 4-2 win to lift themselves off the bottom of the Championship table.

However, that was just Ward's fifth Championship appearance of the campaign, with the 34-year-old finding minutes hard to come by so far this term having made the move to Stoke from Burnley during the summer - and former boss Nathan Jones even preferred Bruno Martins Indi at left-back to the Republic of Ireland international at times.

Despite recording a vital three points against Barnsley and showing much improvement in the final third, the Potters still showed signs of the defensive frailty which has seen them ship 29 league goals so far this term.

That is something that O'Neill will certainly be looking to address over the coming weeks and months, as he aims to put his stamp on the club and get his side into a more organised shape - and the Stoke boss has already shown he is able to coach defensive solidity into his side during his eight-year spell in charge of Northern Ireland.

The way in which Stoke conceded the second goal late on against Barnsley will have been alarming to O'Neill, with Barnsley's Patrick Schmidt given all the time in the world to race clear and pull a goal back following a simple ball over the top.

Given Stoke's defensive problems, it is no surprise to see them being linked with a move for Middlesbrough's George Friend, who has proven himself to be a real solid performer and commanding presence in Boro's side over the last few seasons, helping the club concede just 41 league goals last term.

Were Friend to arrive at the Bet365 Stadium it would almost certainly see Ward find minutes even harder to come by for the rest of the campaign, and given he has only just got back in the side he will be frustrated if he has to settle for a place on the bench again.

Ward will not be wanting to see out the final few years of his career on the fringes of Stoke's squad, and so were Friend to come in and take his place at left-back, the defender might well need to move on himself next summer.