Stoke City v Middlesbrough: Lots of work to be done says Chris Wilder

As it stands, Chris Wilder believes that Stoke are further down the line in their development with the club having realigned their squad in two years under Michael O’Neill, who has had the time to implement his own ethos with the Potters now finally looking to have got their act together following relegation in 2017-18.

For Boro, who dropped out of the top-flight at the end of the previous campaign, it is taking a little while longer.

Boro chief Wilder said: “There is a lot of work to be done. From Michael’s point of view, he inherited a team who recently dropped out of the Premier League with a lot of (established) Premier League players – a little bit different to what it’s been here.

“But it has taken a bit of time and I’d imagine he has had a rollercoaster with it as I will have. It is a thing I will have to get used to a little bit as you are looking for that consistency straightaway and I am not so sure it is going to be there until we work (longer) on the training ground and from the conditioning part of it with the medical department and most importantly, the recruitment.

“He (O’Neill) has got it to where he wants it to be and they (Stoke) are among teams who have had two, three or four windows.”

Martin Payero is back in the fray for Boro after appearing in the club’s friendly at Huddersfield Town this week, which saw the likes of Dael Fry and Neil Taylor also get game-time alongside some of the club’s youngsters.

Wilder added: “I am of the opinion that they (youngsters) will get more out of that than (under) 23s football. I might be slightly controversial, but I am not that bothered.”