Stoke City defender Andrew Davies says former club Middlesbrough are paying for selling their best players.

Davies is gearing up to face his hometown club, who he left two and a half years ago, at the Britannia Stadium this weekend.

He has been followed out of The Riverside by the likes of James Morrison (West Brom) and Lee Cattermole (Wigan) and he thinks Boro could regret letting players like them leave.

"A lot of Middlesbrough boys have left the club who maybe gave that extra 10 per cent," said Davies. "They were replaced by players who maybe don't give that extra 10 per cent in the kind of situation they are now in.

"Maybe it would be different for Middlesbrough if they still had those local lads, players like your James Morrisons and Lee Cattermole."

Davies himself has just returned from a loan spell at Preston as he worked his way back to fitness following a knee injury.

"The Middlesbrough game has probably come a bit too soon, but I'm certainly here to try to help Stoke stay in this division," he said.

"It has been a tough season personally and to get some games in between now and the end of the season would be great."