‘Plenty of excitement’ from Stoke City for Xherdan Shaqiri to be unleashed

Stoke City's new signing Xherdan Shaqiri has impressed all at training and the Premier League club cannot wait for the Swiss midfielder to make his debut against newly promoted Norwich City this weekend, assistant manager Mark Bowen has said.

Shaqiri, 23, joined Stoke for a club record fee of £12 million (Dh103.6m) but was forced to sit out the 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday as he was serving a one-match ban he picked up during his time at Inter Milan.

“Sadly, it wasn’t to be, but if you look at the positives from it then it’s great that he’s got a full week’s training with his new teammates before going into a Premier League game,” Bowen told the club’s website.

“He’s worked well with the group this week and he’s certainly opened a few people’s eyes so we’re very excited by what we’ve seen so far.

“He has a strong pedigree and we can’t wait to perhaps see him this weekend or whenever he gets onto the pitch for the first time in Stoke City colours.”

The 51-year-old Bowen said Shaqiri has made an impressive start to life at the Britannia Stadium.

“We’ve seen plenty of excitement from him in training, he likes to take players on and he is certainly a player the fans will enjoy watching so it all bodes well for the future,” the Welshman added.

“The one thing that has stood out for me is the quality of his first touch and his passing ability to pick a person out in tight areas.

“Everybody is making him feel welcome, he’s a good character and we’re delighted to have him on board.”

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