Stoke City midfielder Matthew Etherington has claimed that he is happy with the competition for places at the club this season.

Etherington has started all four of Stoke's Premier League games this season but he admits that he is taking nothing for granted and must continue to keep playing well or risk being left out by manager Mark Hughes.

"I'm not going to be here for the rest of my life, so the competition is good because it does keep you on your toes," he told The Sentinel.

"To start the first four games shows the manager trusts me, but I know that to stay in the team my performances have to be high to make sure the manager picks me.

"We've got two or three players in every position now and they are top-quality players. This must be the best squad we've had since I've been here and there's some good players who can play in my position."

Stoke City travel to Arsenal in their next Premier League match on Sunday.