Stoke City manager Mark Hughes will not hesitate to welcome back record signing Giannelli Imbula to the starting line up when the Potters travel to Watford on Sunday.

Hughes must fill the void left by the suspended Welshman Joe Allen, and has been impressed with Imbula’s efforts since the 24-year-old was dropped earlier this season.

Signed for a club record £18.3 million back in February, Imbula has not played for the Potters in the Premier League since September.

And while the side’s recent performances have made it difficult for him to break back into Hughes’ plans, the 53 year old admits now is the time for the Belgian to seize his chance.

Hughes said: “When he went out of the team we had an honest conversation about things he needs to improve on if he wants to be successful in this league.

“Giannelli was honest enough to say that given his ability he hasn’t been able to impact games in the manner he would want.

“We have had a good response from taking him out of the side and it could be that we bring him back this weekend given the circumstances – I certainly wouldn’t have any qualms with that.

“He has been ready to come back for a number of weeks but given the way we have performed it has been difficult for him to come back.

“He was very good last year but hasn’t been able to hit those levels this season, and he acknowledges that himself.

“We are patient with him, we want him here for a long time and we have to support him, which we have done.”

Alan Pardew insisted he is desperate to see out his Premier League season as a manager with Crystal Palace, even though the Eagles are struggling for form.

Palace have struggled throughout 2016 and are statistically the worst performing team throughout England’s top four divisions since January 1 this year.

Pardew has history at Palace having made 128 appearances for them as a player before becoming manager in January 2015.

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The Eagles made the FA Cup final before losing to Manchester United at the end of last season and Pardew is keen to ditch the bad times and stick with Crystal Palace into his second decade as a top-flight manager.

“This is my ninth Premier League season and I want number ten with Palace. I’m an experienced manager and I have been in this situation before”, Pardew said.

Pardew was linked to the England manager’s job after their dismal exit at the hands Iceland in Euro 2016 and though he has stayed put at Loftus Road, he backed star Palace forward Wilfried Zaha for a shot at the national side

He said: “I think he’s done more than enough to warrant a place.

“The ball’s in England’s court. He had a chance at junior level, but not enough at senior.”

A resurgent Victor Moses is in buoyant mood as table-toppers Chelsea host unbeaten Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday’s late kick-off.

The Nigerian international has been deployed in a right wing-back role of late and has helped the Stamford Bridge club to six consecutive league wins.

Despite picking up the man of the match award against Middlesbrough, Moses commended his side for grinding out a win on Teesside which saw the Blues climb to the top of the league.

He said: “It was a big boost for me but the most important thing is the team.

“We just have to keep believing in ourselves. I’m enjoying my game at the moment and I just want to keep on improving.”

Moses praised the performances of teammate Pedro and revealed that their impressive on-field connection is down to hard work in training.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The Nigerian said: “Pedro has been playing really well, he’s getting used to the Premier League and he understands the game very well.

“I like playing with Pedro, we have a great understanding between us and it’s working well for the team.

“He’s a great player and he’s won everything so you have to respect his achievements. When you come to a new country it can be difficult but he’s got to grips with it now and he’s doing well.”

Hugo Lloris called on his side to bounce back against table-toppers Chelsea after being dumped out the Champion’s League in Monaco mid-week.

The French goalkeeper’s fine performance was not enough to salvage a point from the game but he is leading Spurs’ revival as they prepare to take on London rivals Chelsea.

“It’s a big disappointment but we need to keep our chins up because it’s a big game on Saturday,” he said.

“Our fans, our club and most of all our players had a lot of expectations in this competition. We fought a lot last season to get this Champions League place.”

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Following their last European setback, Spurs have had four days to prepare for a north London derby and Lloris says his side can draw on that experience when preparing to play at Stamford Bridge.

He added: “I said the same after we lost against Leverkusen at Wembley, this is the best type of game to bounce back.

“The only thing is to digest the frustration of this defeat and look forward.”

Spurs remain unbeaten in the league but their record will come under threat as they take on Antonio Conte’s Chelsea in buoyant mood after winning six on the spin.

Demarai Gray may have bagged himself a Premier League winners medal at the age of 19 but the Leicester City winger is hungry for plenty more in his career.

Gray could not have timed his move to the Foxes better as he switched Birmingham City for Leicester City in January of this year.

That came amid Claudio Ranieri’s team’s remarkable challenge for the Premier League title which eventually came to a climax in May when they lifted the trophy.

Domestic success has been harder to come by this time around though with Leicester’s league form in stark contrast to their impressive Champions League adventures where they have made the knockout stages.

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

And while Gray has had to make do largely with a role off the bench this season, the now 20-year-old insists he’s more than happy to keep learning from his teammates.

“I’m hungry. I just want to play football and be the best I can be. I want to play at the best level, which I am doing, and win more stuff,” he said.

“Being involved in the Champions League where the best teams in the world are [is great]. I just want to win more stuff after having the taste of it so early in my career.

“It’s just made me want to do it again. There are a lot of big characters here in the team who are helping me. Players like Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez who plays in my position and Wes Morgan the captain too.

“Just being around such quality players and training them is making me get better. When I need to be told what’s good or not so good, they tell me so I’m lucky to have players like that around me.

“To see how far they’ve all come in their careers is great and hopefully I can go on and become like them.”

Middlesbrough striker Alvaro Negredo insists his performances on the pitch can do the talking as he looks to repay the faith shown in him by boss Aitor Karanka.

Negredo, on loan at the Riverside from Spanish side Valencia, has failed to find the back of the net since the opening day of the season against Stoke City.

Since then, he has gone 11 games without a goal, but Boro boss Karanka was quick to praise the 31-year-old’s efforts during Sunday’s narrow defeat to Chelsea.

And his recent drought in front of goal has done little to knock Negredo’s confidence, insisting it won’t be long until he finally breaks his duck.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

“It’s always positive for a manager to talk about you that way and give you that support,” Negredo said.

“From a selfish point of view a striker always feels better after scoring goals – it raises your confidence and everything goes with it.

“But for the team it is not just about that. The manager has a plan and we try our best to carry out that plan.

“I have always put trust in my own ability. Now I have a team behind me who want to help me and believe in that too.

“I’m determined to do well, not just on a personal level, but also for Boro and for the fans.”

He may have enjoyed a strong start to his Liverpool career, but shot stopper Loris Karius insists much of the credit has to go to the ten men lined up in front of him.

Former Manchester City youth player Karius joined the Reds from Mainz over the summer and has played in eight in of their 15 games so far, going into this weekend.

Last Saturday he was part of the side which prevented Southampton registering a single shot on target across 90 minutes – the fourth time Liverpool have done so this season.

(Photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images)

And while Karius is currently averaging just over a shot saved per game – the lowest of any other Premier League goalkeeper – the 23-year-old is adamant that praise also has to go to his teammates.

“It’s not just the back four; it starts from the striker, [who] has to work hard to win the ball back, and if the midfield didn’t work hard to counter-press when we lose the ball then it would be hard for just the back four and me to sort it out,” he said.

“That’s the whole team effort that everybody puts in, working hard, and that makes the difference.

“[You have to stay] in the game mentally because there could be one shot in the whole game and you just have to make sure you’re ready for it.

“You stay in the game by talking to the defence and following the game – you can’t switch off.

“As a goalkeeper, that’s always the case, whether you [face] zero or ten shots, you have to be ready.

“Sometimes there are games like this so it’s nothing brand new. Of course, here it happens more often than at Mainz, but it’s nothing you can really train.”

Watford were among the favourites for relegation at the beginning of the season but boss Walter Mazzarri insists his side have developed a winning mentality this campaign.

The Hornets sit eighth in the Premier League table with five wins so far, and victory against Stoke City on Sunday could move them into the top six.

Mazzarri replaced Quique Sanchez Flores in the summer after Watford’s limp second half of the season, which led many to tip them for the drop in 2017.

But Mazzarri has led Watford impressively and last week’s 2-1 win against champions Leicester City showed the Italian that they can get the job done on a regular basis.

WPhoto by Tony Marshall/Getty Images

“It’s not easy because you have to take into consideration that you have an opposition in front of you,” he said.

“It’s always a very strong opponent. I’m very happy that we played well for a long time against Leicester, and taking into consideration the second half, we showed that we can suffer but still win.

“This is the positive. Of course, I would always want to have the whole 90 minutes playing incredibly well every week.

“But it’s very difficult in a league like the Premier League, you will always have good teams.”

Victor Anichebe’s free transfer to Sunderland in September can be forgiven for going under the radar in a transfer window where over £1billion was spent by Premier League clubs.

However, three goals in his last two games for the Black Cats have made Anichebe an early season fans’ favourite at the Stadium of Light.

Having scored his side’s equaliser in their 2-1 victory over Bournemouth – his first top-flight start for the club – Anichebe hit two late goals against Hull City the following week.

But Anichebe’s blistering form is no fluke, according to the man who got him into shape over the summer, someone he was sure to make a special mention of following his man-of-the-match performance against the Tigers.

(Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Nicky Holender, a former footballer, singer, model and actor turned personal trainer, spent pre-season in Los Angeles with Anichebe, fine-tuning his physique following the 28-year-old’s release from West Brom.

“Those goals, that was exactly what we worked on all summer,” said Holender.

“I had a plan where I’d put him through hell for 20 minutes. I annihilated him. Then we’d start working on finishing, one-on-ones, explosive bursts so that his body would get used to doing that when tired. Doing it 20 times over.

“When Victor gets tired and he’s carrying that weight, his body gets into a situation where it can’t cope — that’s when you break down.

“We had to get his muscles used to coping with that immense power for 90 minutes, not 75. Look at his goals against Hull. Both one-on-one with a defender in the box, one touch to get away from him and bang — goal.”

After scoring a hat trick for Holender’s semi-professional team Funkytown, who play in the LA Premier League, he knew it was time for Anichebe to head back to England.

Within two weeks of his return, he had signed for Sunderland and his former Everton boss David Moyes, and Holender is confident it was the right decision.

He said: “He had plenty of offers but I’ve always known he loves David. Victor can save Sunderland this season. Especially playing with Jermaine Defoe, there will be no stopping him.”

Ashley Fletcher is prepared to face some very familiar faces when he returns to Old Trafford with West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.

The striker joined Manchester United from Bolton at the age of 13 and was with the club up until last year, when he agreed a four-year deal with the Hammers.

And while coming up against the likes of Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford will be a new experience for the 21-year-old, he’s determined to earn a win for his new club.

“I am looking forward to going back to Old Trafford for the first time and it will be great to meet up with a number of old friends,” he said.

“I spent the majority of my youth career at Manchester United and learned a great deal during my time there so it will be good to go back and show what I can do.

(Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

“This is probably the first time I have played against Marcus in a competitive game. I am looking forward to seeing him and other players like Jesse Lingard.

“They are the players I grew up with and have played alongside. It will be a huge occasion for my family and friends and for the Manchester United fans to see how far I have come.

“All my focus will be on West Ham and helping us to come away with a good result on Sunday. I am hungry to get more chances and help us move clear of the bottom three.”