News from Clayton Wood as Stoke City prepare to take on Plymouth Argyle in the Championship
Alex Neil believes that Bae Junho has quickly earned his chance to be trusted with the number 10 role at Stoke City.
The 20-year-old arrived at Stoke in late August from South Korea and has had to wait for game time over the next few months, with a couple of starts and a handful of cameos. But he got his chance on the left wing last weekend and was used in the middle against QPR in midweek, where his skill and energy caught the eye.
He has impressed in training with his character, ability, and attitude, and he is now attempting to help Stoke City get back on track away at Plymouth Argyle.
Neil said: “You’ve got a lad who’s come over from South Korea and he’s 20 years of age; he barely speaks the language; he’s coming into a completely different culture; he’s coming into a really physical league; and I think a lot of lads around the world are quite reluctant to come to the Championship because of that and how many games you play in quick succession.
“But he’s had no hesitation, no fear about taking that challenge on. I think he deserves a lot of respect.”
He added, “He’s only going to get better, and we’re only going to get better as these boys are starting to settle. I know saying that after two defeats might seem a little bit strange, but I do think there’s a lot of positives from some of the players, and there’s a lot to come from them going forward.
“Junho is doing his English lessons, and he’s been communicating with one or two words at the moment. There’s a lot for us to improve, and I think we are only going to get better at this point.”
Junho has been used around the front line so far, but he is expected to fall naturally into a central role as time goes on.
Neil said, “I think he can play in a variety of positions, but I do believe his best position is probably as a number 10. I think sometimes with young players—and you see it a lot with centre-backs—when they’re not quite ready, you play them at right-back just to get them minutes and exposure, then naturally you start to bump them into the middle of the pitch when they’re ready to hold that position. Those roles down the spine of your team are key positions, and there’s a lot of responsibility falling on those positions.
“But I think that with how he’s performed and how he’s been, how he’s trained (he’s earned that position), and I thought he did particularly well. I thought he was very good.”
Fellow youngster Junior Tchamadeu, who joined from Colchester on deadline day, has also had to bide his time for action and has been left out of the squad in the last couple of weeks.
Neil said, “Yeah, he’s fine. We’ve had three full-backs with Ki-Jana, Enda on the other side, and Goochy, who can cover off both. We’ve got Jordan Thompson and Josh Laurent, and we want to have options at the top end of the pitch.
“You pick your starting XI to try to win the game, and then you pick your bench to make sure you fill all the slots that are necessary throughout the team. You wouldn’t necessarily have two full-backs on the bench because you might need other areas to cover.”
Sead Haksabanovic (groin) and Ben Wilmot (knee) remain on the sidelines, while Enda Stevens, Wouter Burger, and Daniel Johnson serve one-match bans.
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