Stoke City boss, Michael O'Neil says John Mikel Obi has made his side solid since he joined

Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill has revealed John Obi Mikel has made the club stronger with his performances.

The 33-year-old teamed up with the Potters in the summer after leaving Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor by mutual agreement.

Mikel has enjoyed an easy start to life with the Bet365 Stadium outfit in their 11 games he has played for the club so far, as they have five clean sheets since his arrival to the club to their current eighth spot on the Championship table.

“Our number of clean sheets has been impressive,” O'Neill said in a pre-match press conference.

“I think even going back to the start of this calendar year, I think we rank among the best in the division in terms of clean sheets. It’s important how we defend as a team, not just a back four."

If you recall that John Mikel also enjoyed a glorious 11 years spell with Chelsea where he won a number of trophies including the Champions League, Europa League and Premier League titles.

O'Neil added: “John Obi Mikel has made us stronger in that area as well, we’re stronger in midfield and we’ve been stronger as a unit in how we defend from the front."

Mikel signed a one-year deal with the Stoke City.

The 33-year-old had previously featured in the Championship with Middlesbrough after leaving Chinese Super League side Tianjin TEDA.

Meanwhile, O'Neil men will be hoping for another victory to make it a sixth win of the season when they take on Huddersfield Town on Saturday