Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has praised Marko Arnautovic for his performance during Monday's win against Newcastle United.
The forward replaced the injured Mame Biram Diouf with just 20 minutes played at the Britannia Stadium as the Potters earned a 1-0 victory over the struggling Magpies.
Following Arnautovic's hard-working display against Newcastle, Hughes hopes that the Austrian can maintain those standards for the remainder of the season.
"He was very lively going forward but he was also very conscientious in his defensive duties and was closing opposing players down quickly which was incredibly pleasing," he told the club's official website.
"When he is in that frame of mind and when he has that kind of focus towards his work then he is an exceptionally difficult player to come up against.
"We were all delighted to see him in that frame of mind and hopefully now he can build on top of that and go on to enjoy a fantastic season."
Monday's win saw Stoke move up to 11th place in the Premier League table after six matches.
Jack Prescott
