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Wilfried Bony to 'haunt' Swansea by breaking goalscoring duck - Stoke boss Mark Hughes
STOKE boss Mark Hughes claims Wilfried Bony is ready to "haunt" former club Swansea in their Halloween clash this evening.
Stoke striker Wilfried Bony during the EFL Cuo match against Hull
Ivory Coast striker Bony is a on a season-long loan with Stoke after Pep Guardiola decided he was surplus to requirements at Manchester City.
Bony was signed by Guardiola's predecessor Manuel Pellegrini from Swansea for £28million in January 2015 but his career hit a brick wall on Manchester because of injuries and loss of form.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes looks on during the 2-0 win over Hull
Wilf is playing well enough as well. We're hopeful he'll get off the mark. He's close to that
The 27-year-old has made a slow started to life in the Potteries and has yet to find the net in seven appearances in all competitions. But Hughes believes Bony still frightens the life out of opposition defenders as he backed him to break his goalscoring duck against his old employers.
"There are plenty of examples in the past where former players have come back and haunted their previous clubs," said Hughes. "So I hope that's going to happen again. Wilf is playing well enough as well. We're hopeful he'll get off the mark. He's close to that.
Wilfried Bony in action for Swansea against Manchester City in 2014
"He can frighten opposition defenders. He's a powerful guy and he's very difficult to get the ball off. You can see he's a little bit frustrated at the moment. He feels like he should be bringing goals to the team but it's not a case of that."
Former Manchester United and Wales striker Hughes likened himself to Bony with regards to being a player who blows hot and cold in front of goal.
And despite not finding the net in seven appearances, Hughes believes Bony's contribution should not simply be measured by how many times he finds the net.
"He's a little bit like me when I played because I was a streaky striker I suppose," said Hughes. "I'd go on little runs where I'd score four or five and then not score for five or six games and then I'd get back on track again. Maybe Wilf's a little bit like me in that regard."