Michael O’Neill reacts as Stoke City seal move for Man City striker

Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill has admitted that he is grateful that Manchester City have placed their trust in his side to further the development of Liam Delap.

As confirmed by the club’s official website, the Potters have secured the services of Delap on a season-long loan deal from the current Premier League champions.

Stoke had to fend off competition from West Bromwich Albion for the striker’s signature.

Baggies boss Steve Bruce recently confirmed that the club were interested in signing Delap.

However, following his side’s draw with Cardiff City last night, Bruce revealed in an interview with the Express & Star that Rory Delap’s presence at Stoke helped to convince the 19-year-old to make the switch to the bet365 Stadium.

Delap’s father is currently part of the Potters’ coaching set-up.

Having secured a temporary switch to Stoke, the striker could potentially make his debut for the club in their showdown with Sunderland on Saturday.

The Potters will be looking to pick up their second league victory of the season in this particular fixture.

Speaking to the club’s website about Delap’s arrival, O’Neill said: “It’s no secret that we have been looking to bring Liam to the Club this summer.

“We have been in dialogue with City for some time now and had the opportunity a few weeks ago to outline our plans for Liam.

“We are grateful to them for the trust they have placed in us and we are really excited about working with Liam.”

The Verdict

This may turn out to be an incredibly shrewd bit of business as Delap certainly possesses a great deal of potential.

During his youth career to date, the forward has scored a remarkable total of 32 goals in 32 games in the Premier League 2 Division 1 for City’s Under-23 outfit.

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