Boss Pulis backs Stoke youngster Cuvelier

The 19-year-old is yet to make a senior appearance for the Potters since his arrival from Portsmouth in 2010, but spent last season on loan with League One side Walsall.

During his time with the Saddlers, Cuvelier earned rave reviews for his performances and ended his spell with the club with four goals in 18 appearances.

The former Mouscron trainee is expected to be sent out on loan again next season, but Pulis insists he has a future at the Britannia Stadium and highlighted the impact Andy Wilkinson, Carl Dickinson and Ryan Shotton made after returning from similar spells away from the club.

"All of them were nowhere near our first team but they went out on loan and showed they could swim," Pulis told the Sentinel.

"Some maintain that level and some drop off, I accept that, but you have to get them out there to test them.

"If we think they are good enough, then we should be getting them out playing football.

"That's why we got him [Cuvelier] out on loan to Walsall in January and he did brilliantly there. But until that point he was struggling in our reserve games.

"It just shows that the quicker we can get them out into league football the better because it either makes or breaks them.

"He's done smashing at Walsall and we will look to get him out again because he doesn't need to be hanging around the reserves.

"Wherever he goes, he needs to be involved; he needs to be at the cutting edge."

Nick Moore

Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.