Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has been delighted by the impact made by Joe Allen since he arrived at the club.

The Wales international joined the Potters from Liverpool in the summer and has been the Staffordshire club's most consistent player over their seven Premier League matches thus far.

Hughes spoke glowingly of the 26-year-old after he scored the equaliser in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

"Joe was immense and he's been excellent since he came to the club," said Hughes.

"I knew I was getting a good player, clearly because I spent £13million on him, but sometimes you don't understand how good a player is until they're in the building and you work with them day in, day out.

"He's an intelligent player, great energy levels and good awareness of situations. He knows how to affect situations, so we've got an excellent player."