Ibrahim Afellay is disappointed with his lack of first-team action since moving to Stoke City from Barcelona in the summer. However, he has vowed to do all he can to force his way into the side.

Lack of first-team action

After starting the first four games of the Premier League season, his ever-present record came to an end after he received a two-match ban following his red card against West Bromwich Albion in August.

Afellay has started just twice since his suspension, with both starts coming in the Capital One Cup. His most recent was in the penalty shoot-out victory over Chelsea, but he was then left out of the starting XI in their following league game against Newcastle United last Saturday.

Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel, Afellay believes he did enough to start against the Magpies. However, he added that, although it is "hard to accept", sometimes a manager decides to choose somebody else and "the only thing you can do is to work hard."

Grateful for warm welcome

Afellay is grateful for the "very warm" and "very friendly" welcome he has received, helping him to settle into the fifth country he has played in.

He said that the Premier League is "very different" from the Bundesliga and La Liga, where he has played previously in his career, and also different from the Eredivisie in the Netherlands and the Superleague in Greece.

The former Barcelona winger said that he believes the Premier League is the "best league in the word" as it is "where people are looking at".

Afellay not afraid of competition

The 29-year-old is not afraid of competition and he said battling for a place in the first-team with Xherdan Shaqiri, Bojan and Stephen Ireland "keeps you sharp and it is part of the job."

Afellay also has the added advantage of being able to play in a range of positions having already been deployed as a central attacking midfielder and on both wings by Mark Hughes this season.

He said that he is capable of playing in "five positions" and, although he "prefers" to play in midfield, he also likes the "freedom" of playing as a winger.

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About the author
Adam Bailey
Everton editor, who also covers cycling and athletics.