Pushed to one side at Stoke City these days, Mame Biram Diouf, who didn’t get a move away from the club in January, will be looking for every chance he gets to prove himself.
So far, he’s only been given six opportunities to do so this season, and while he’s managed to score a goal in the process, in an eight minute cameo against Wigan back in November, it hasn’t been enough to convince Michael O’Neill to hand him anything of late.
He was on the bench against Blackburn Rovers on February 26th but never came on, and even if he was named as part of the squad travelling to face Luton over the weekend, the striker wasn’t on the bench, having to watch his teammates from the stands.
He said, in quotes relayed by Galsenfoot: “It’s always weird to be part of the group, travel, arrive at the stadium only to end up in the stands, but these are the coach’s choices and it’s part of the things to accept. It’s happened to others, this time it was me.
“But I will continue to fight and stay ready for the moment the manager calls me up. We’re in a complicated situation, and the end of the season will be very important so we need to keep coming together”.
Despite being unbeaten in their last three games (one win and two draws), Stoke sit just above the relegation zone in the Championship, two points ahead of Middlesbrough, who have a game in hand.
