There must be a whiteboard in Mark Robins’s office at Clayton Wood where he will be looking at his options with the Stoke City squad he inherited last week.

Ten players have started all of the last three games to pick up an important five points and Robins will be weighing up who can break into that side from the group that is currently fit and available – and who will come into consideration when they are fit again.

On current form, it seems like there are four easy picks down the spine of the team in Viktor Johansson, Ashley Phillips, Ben Wilmot and Tom Cannon.

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Central midfield has been in flux since the summer, as shown by the extent to which minutes have been shared between players. There was a decent balance with Tatsuki Seko, Wouter Burger and Andrew Moran against Sunderland and Burnley. Bosun Lawal and Ben Pearson are expected to come into contention as the season goes on although neither has played much or at all since last spring. It would be a blessing to be able to use Moran as a 10 rather than deeper.

Junior Tchamadeu, in his first season as a regular in the Championship, has been much-improved at right-back over the last couple of weeks and benefitting from an order to be more front-footed. There aren’t too many alternative options in that position if you want a round peg in a round hole, particularly while Lynden Gooch is standing in at left-back. Gooch played particularly well there at Burnley but it is a blow to lose Eric Bocat for a few weeks and injuries have meant Enda Stevens has only started six of the 26 league games.

Ben Gibson is waiting for his chance to come back into the team at centre-back after illness but Phillips and Wilmot have dovetailed nicely in three successive clean sheets. Michael Rose, who played under Robins at Coventry, is having to be patient while Jaden Dixon and Freddie Anderson are ones to watch in the under-21s and Lawal can play in defence.

There isn't a big queue to play on the wings, where Bae Junho has been patchy this term and Lewis Koumas, currently being used on the right, is in his first season of regular senior football. Andre Vidigal is back out of favour and Million Manhoef is in the treatment room. Sam Gallagher can play on the left too but he’s not twinkle-toed.

Gallagher can also be used with or as an alternative to Cannon down the middle but Emre Tezgel has been short of game time and Niall Ennis hasn’t got on the pitch for two months. It might say a lot that Gallagher, having had two pretty serious back-to-back injuries, has still featured more than either of them so far.

The game time of the senior players used in the league so far this season helps give an indication, injuries aside, of their place in the pecking order.

It is pretty clear that Jordan Thompson, Vidigal, Tezgel and Ennis will need a strong turn in the wind to get back into favour. Tezgel is still only 19 and must be looking at how Nathan Lowe’s stock is rising thanks to an exceptional loan.

The centre-forward and wide attacking spots stand out as Stoke needing greater depth while Robins could do with working out a path forwards in midfield as soon as possible and whether he has enough in the building to cover there the next four months.

Stoke City senior squad (league minutes this season)

Goalkeeper: Johansson (2340 out of 2340 minutes), Bonham (0), Fielding (0)

Right-back: Tchamadeu (1610), Gooch (648)

Left-back: Bocat (1490), Stevens (537)

Centre-half: Wilmot (1914), Gibson (1746), Phillips (1282), Rose (734), Dixon (2)

Central midfielder: Burger (1532), Seko (1104), Thompson (632), Sidibe (304), Lawal (23), Pearson (0)

Number 10: Moran (1596)

Left wing: Junho (1906), Vidigal (95)

Right wing: Koumas (1650), Manhoef (1637)

Centre-forward: Cannon (1863). Gallagher (332), Tezgel (272), Ennis (94)

Now pick your best XI when everyone is available

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