Hughes calling for patience for Stoke striker Bony

He was brought in to improve on a wretched goal-scoring record, but Stoke City fans will have to be patient to get the full impact of striker Wilfried Bony, according to manager Mark Hughes.

Signed on loan from Manchester City in August, Bony has yet to find the back of the net in his five Potters appearances to date, with his last goal coming way back on Boxing Day in victory over Sunderland while still at the Etihad Stadium.

That’s caused a semblance of concern for a Stoke side short on goals themselves, with their five in seven Premier League appearances the fewest of any team – with just three points accumulated from their campaign so far.

But Hughes believes the goals will pick up, both for the team and Bony who, while at Swansea City, score Premier League goals for the calendar year in 2014  than anyone else.

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

“I think it is fair to say that we are going to have to be patient with Wilfried,” said Hughes.

“He hasn’t played for quite some time, and we are trying to get him up to speed. Clearly we want to get him into good areas of the field because he is an accomplished finisher, and we see that on a daily basis in training.

“Now we want to see that on matchdays. He is a top-level striker. He improved against Manchester United and we fully expect him to keep making progress.

“He isn’t quite there yet, and he will admit that himself, but when we do get him to his best he will score plenty of goals for us.”