Stoke City, Mark Robins talisman has drawn Xherdan Shaqiri comparisons | OneFootball

Million Manhoef has a very similar style of play and is of a similar stature to the Potters as Shaqiri was

Dutch winger Million Manhoef has been Stoke City's best attacker since he moved to the Potteries a little over a year ago, and his impressive performances and distinctive style of play have drawn notable comparisons to former Potters' playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri.

Manhoef quickly became one of the Potters', and the Championship's, most exciting wingers in 2023/24 after arriving from Vitesse in the January window, and he has remained as their talisman this season despite injury issues.

The Netherlands under-21 international has dazzled Stoke supporters with his exciting, forward-thinking style, and his trademark move of cutting in from the right side onto his favoured left foot to regularly score goals has been a real source of joy for the club over the last 12 months.

That sort of move, as well as Manhoef's stocky frame and low centre of gravity, has seen him compared to one man who all connected with Stoke still regard as one of their greatest players of the modern era, and possibly even in the history of the club - Xherdan Shaqiri.

Shaqiri spent three seasons with Stoke from 2015 to 2018, and he was a similarly key player under both Mark Hughes and Paul Lambert in his time at the bet365 Stadium while the club were still in the Premier League.

Million Manhoef and Xherdan Shaqiri are similar players and of similar importance to Stoke

Manhoef has been one of Stoke's key players since his arrival from Eredivisie outfit Vitesse last January, and while he is just returning from a serious knee injury, his ability and talent at this level has been very clear to see over the previous 12 months.

He registered four goals and an assist in 14 games last season and played a key role in the Potters' eventually successful bid to avoid relegation to League One with some brilliant strikes in trademark fashion on his left foot from the right wing. Stoke's own X account even compared him to Shaqiri after a long-range finish against Bristol City on the final day of the campaign.

Manhoef was linked with a potential move away throughout the summer, but Stoke were not set to let him depart easily, though, and reports stated that they wanted upwards of £10m for his services amid apparent interest from fellow Championship side Leeds United.

The Dutchman's good performances have continued this term after he remained at the bet365 Stadium despite that interest, and he had registered five goals and two assists in 24 appearances before he suffered medial collateral ligament damage in mid-December and was ruled out for up to three months.

The 23-year-old has come back from injury in recent games and been a key man once again under recently-appointed boss Mark Robins, with an assist on his return against Swansea City, and then a penalty won against Norwich City a week later. It is pretty clear that he is on track to achieve big things in football, and when he does leave Stoke, he will surely join a higher-placed team either in England or abroad.

Shaqiri joined Stoke from Inter Milan in August 2015 for a club-record £12m and soon set about winning the hearts of the Potters faithful for his standout performances in the Premier League in red and white.

The Swiss international netted numerous memorable goals in his time in the Potteries, with 15 goals and assists each in 92 games for the club, including iconic strikes against the likes of Everton, Hull City and Crystal Palace before he left for Liverpool in 2018 after he could not help the club avoid relegation to the Championship.

Shaqiri built a reputation for his speed, trickery, and brilliant ball-striking while at the bet365 Stadium, much like Manhoef, and the similarities between their profiles and play styles are almost uncanny. The biggest shame for Stoke supporters will be the downfall that their club has endured in the years between their two spells in ST4.

Million Manhoef has agreed with the constant comparisons to Xherdan Shaqiri

Stoke have been pretty reliant on Manhoef providing moments of magic over the last year to keep them away from the Championship relegation zone, and his recent return to injury will be a huge boost to their survival chances this term with a battle at the bottom set to commence over the coming months.

The 23-year-old has given numerous interviews since he joined the Potters, talking about his upbringing in the Netherlands and life as the son of international MMA star Melvin Manhoef, and he also spoke positively of comparisons to former Stoke star Shaqiri to BBC Radio Stoke back in August.

He said: "He was an amazing player for the club and also just in general, so it's funny that they compare us.

"Of course you can see the resemblance, in that he is on the right-wing, left foot. I'm also, like, small and stocky.

"Some guys (teammates) also call me now Shaqiri all the time. Just now they've been calling me only 'Shaqiri, Shaqiri, Shaqiri.'

"Every time I walk out they say the same, but I don't mind, if I make the step up like him, it's a good career, right?"

Manhoef certainly has all the tools to make it at a similar level to the Swiss legend at some point in his career, but right now he himself will surely admit that he has some way to go to eclipse Shaqiri's impact on the game, particularly with Stoke in the Premier League, and also at both Inter Milan and Liverpool where he won the Champions League in 2013 and 2019 respectively.