Stoke City boss Mark Hughes remains confident in Wilfried Bony.

It's now 19 appearances for Stoke, Manchester City and Ivory Coast since Bony last hit the back of the net.

"It's fair to say that we are going to have to be patient," Hughes admitted. "Wilfried hasn't had a consistent run of games for some time, so we are trying to get him up to speed.

"There's elements of his play which has impressed us and when he does get a chance, as we see every day in training, he's a very accomplished finisher.

"He's a top-level striker and just needs to get up and running.

"Certainly against Man United we felt his hold-up play improved markedly and he was bringing people into the game which is something we like.

"We now want to get him into the box and end on the end of chances.

"He isn't there yet and he would admit that himself, so there's scope for improvement. But when he does, he will score goals."