1 week Ago By [email protected] (Peter Smith)
Mark Robins insists he is not taking notice of whether a player is on loan or his own when it comes to picking his team for vital Stoke City matches. Stoke have relied heavily on loanees this season and Ashley Phillips, Andrew Moran and Lewis Koumas have all been main stays in the match day squad. Tom Cannon was too before he was recalled in January and Ali Al-Hamadi has been involved when available since he joined.
Josh Wilson-Esbrand, who picked up a calf injury in February, has been less so. But over the last three games since the international break, Phillips has been the only loanee in the starting XI. Koumas and Al-Hamadi have both been used from the bench.
Robins said: “It is what it is. I don’t look and think, ‘I’m going to pick you because you’re one of ours.’ I don’t think like that, I just try to pick the team that’s best suited at that particular time.
“Individuals are available, individuals are not available, some are available but they’ve had something that’s wrong that means they can’t start in the game so it looks like you make changes. Sometimes it’s deserved, sometimes it’s not and it’s circumstances that dictate. “That has been the reason behind a lot of what I’ve faced since I’ve been here.
I’ve had to react on a daily basis to something happen. It’s not ideal for your preparation or their preparation but it has been part and parcel of everyday life here at the moment. “I think that’s been part of the excitement around it!” Stoke loanees’ Championship record in 2024/25 Ashley Phillips (Tottenham Hotspur), aged 19, 30 (0) appearances, 2,632 minutes Lewis Koumas (Liverpool), aged 19, 26 (14) appearances, 2,372 minutes, three goals, two assists Andrew Moran (Brighton and Hove Albion), aged 21, 26 (8) appearances, 2,359 minutes, four goals, three assists Tom Cannon (Leicester City), aged 22, 22 (0) appearances, 1,863 minutes, nine goals, one assist Ali Al-Hamadi (Ipswich Town), aged 23, 8 (2) appearances, 623 minutes, two goals Josh Wilson-Esbrand (Manchester City), aged 22, 3 (1) appearances, 220 minutes, one assist While you're here, we have launched a new WhatsApp group to deliver the latest Stoke news directly to your phone.
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