Tony Pulis has backed Florent Cuvelier to become a first-team player at Stoke, but not before another loan spell next season.
Potters boss highlights the benefits of loan spells for young players
Tony Pulis has backed Florent Cuvelier to become a first-team player at Stoke, but not before another loan spell next season.
The 19-year-old has yet to make a senior appearance for the Potters since moving from Portsmouth in 2010.
The former Mouscron youngster enjoyed a loan spell at League One side Walsall last season, making 18 appearances and scoring four goals.
Cuvelier is unlikely to be involved in the first team next campaign and Pulis confirmed he will almost certainly be sent out on loan to gain more first-team action.
However, the Potters boss insists the youngster still has a future at the Britannia Stadium and highlighted the progress first-teamers Andy Wilkinson, Carl Dickinson and Ryan Shotton made after returning from similar loan spells.
"All of them were nowhere near our first team but they went out on loan and showed they could swim," Pulis told
the Sentinel.
Test them
"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."
