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3 Players United Will Have To Be Wary Of – Stoke City

Manchester United of course play Stoke City away tomorrow, in the Premier League and with that in mind it’s worth taking a look at these three players who we should be wary of going into the game:

Peter Crouch

If you would’ve told Stoke fans 10 years ago that they would be signing an England striker who had scored 22 goals for his country and played at not one but two World Cup’s they would be joining them from Spurs, they would rightly have told you to get real.

The facts are that’s exactly what has happened and the signing of Crouch literally is a huge signing for Tony Pulis and everyone connected to Stoke. The gangly forward, despite being out of favour with Spurs and Fabio Capello is still a good top-flight striker.

He seemingly fits exactly into Stoke’s physical style of play and despite not being as lethal as he should be in front of goal, will be trusted by Pulis to lead the line for Stoke and score regularly this season. He’s a handful for defenders but can be very predictable in terms of his play.

Rory Delap

In the past he has called been a journey man player (despite only having played for 5 clubs) but make no mistake about it, Delap has played a pivotal part in Stoke’s recent history and deserves to be praised for his contributions rather than be laughed at.

Yes, his throw-ins are not pretty. But they’ve been effective and have helped set up a remarkable 18 league goals for Stoke in the last three seasons. They fit into Stoke’s physicality and aerial threat perfectly and have become invaluable due to the fact they’re hard to defend against.

But to sum up Delap as just Stoke’s ‘trow-in man’ would be in a way disrespectful to him. He’s a hardworking defensive midfielder who certainly puts alot of effort in open play that often goes unnoticed who lower sides in the division would be happy to have in their squad.

Ryan Shawcross

Not many players leave Old Trafford as a bright youngster and go onto play for their country and be talked about as one of the best players in his position in the league. Shawcross has everything going for him and is an England player in waiting.

For someone only 23 years old, his leadership qualities are exceptional and he has flourished at Stoke and has come on so much last season when he was handed the captaincy by Tony Pulis. Strong in the tackle and brave as an ox, there are few better defenders in the country right now.

It would be fair to say that Shawcross is only going to get better due to playing in the Europa League this season with his reading and understanding of the game set to improve as well. If he continues to play well for the Potters, then a big move will certainly be on the cards very soon.

By Adam Dennehey  @ADennehey87

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