Hughes revels after slick Shaqiri savages City

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes believes Xherdan Shaqiri will establish himself as a Premier League force after the winger turned in an influential display in the 2-0 win over Manchester City.

Former Bayern Munich man Shaqiri – selected in a side boasting an array of attacking talent including ex-Barcelona duo Ibrahim Afellay and Bojan Krkic – provided a pair of sumptuous assists as Marko Arnautovic gave the hosts an early 2-0 lead at the Britannia Stadium that Manuel Pellegrini's title hopefuls could find no response to.

Hughes marvelled at a fine all-round performance from Shaqiri, who he feels is getting to grips with the vagaries of England's top flight.

"He was really effective in terms of his ball retention. He can take people on in one-v-one situations but his quality of his passing to pick people out in key areas of the field is something that we'll benefit from," Hughes told a post-match news conference.

"It's still early days for him but you see game-by-game now that he's getting to grips with it.

"It doesn't matter who you are, when you come to a new league then it's difficult. But more so when you come to the Premier League.

"It's taken a lot of players aback when they've come here. But he's getting to grips with it and is having the impact we know he can do."