Stoke City have found life in the Championship a little more difficult than they initially anticipated.

Gary Rowett’s men currently languish in 18th position having picked up just five points so far this season, winning on only one occasion.

After relegation from the Premier League, there was obviously going to be a transitional period to get back to their feet after the blow of dropping down a division.

Stoke are still to find their feet and there are a number of players who remain at the club after last season’s drop, with a few new signings to try and make an immediate return to the top-flight.

There are players who are yet to hit form, with some making no case for their continued inclusion in the first-team.

With that said, here are TWO Stoke City players that need to buck up their ideas or faced being axed...

The new signing impressed in this past summer’s World Cup for Nigeria, and at the time, the signing looked like it was going to be a sensational one.

Enter the Championship season and the 22-year-old has struggled to adapt to life in the second-tier of English football.

Performances have been underwhelming so far, with the international break allowing the Stoke man time to take his mind off recent performances.

Etebo needs to use the interval wisely and hopefully up his performance levels.

The Stoke City captain has been off the boil slightly so far this season.

At the tender age of 30, the pace of forwards seem to be catching the defender off guard, and with the unawareness to understand his opponents' movements, he has been at fault for a few goals so far this season.

With Ashley Williams, an experienced professional in the squad, Shawcross could well be ousted should he fail to pick up his performances.