‘WE’VE ONLY JUST STARTED’
Striker Ennis insists Potters will continue to improve as Schumacher heads into first full season
NIALL Ennis, a stalwart of promotion under Steven Schumacher at Plymouth Argyle, is sure Stoke City supporters only saw a glimpse of how the manager’s team will work when everything comes together in his first full season.
Ennis played a key role as Plymouth won promotion to the Championship in 2023 and was reunited with Schumacher at Stoke in January via half-a-season at Blackburn Rovers.
The 25-year-old striker is now currently in the thick of a training camp in Ireland when the boss is laying down exactly what he wants over the next few months, with a friendly against Cork City tonight.
And Ennis said: “I feel like after the bad spell that we had, when we had that blip, we shored up and were solid as a unit and we stayed resilient.
“That’s the out-of-possession part of it that the gaffer wants but I feel like this season we’ll show more attacking, more bombing forward as a unit and we’ll show how good we are attacking wise.
“(If you’re a striker you want to play in a Steven Schumacher team.) It’s getting to know the patterns of play.
“The gaffer has got the time now to show where he wants us on the pitch and it’s about taking that information and putting it into play. And it’s about getting as fit as possible because it’s a fast league and you have to get across defenders.”
The wide forwards will play a big part in that too and this is an important first pre-season in England for Bae Junho and Million Manhoef, who emerged as key players in the spring.
“They’re two different types of players and this is why pre-season is good,” said Ennis. “It’s about knowing when they’ll cut in, when they’ll release it. It’s about building that relationship and knowing when to run behind and when to turn and face. They’re two really good talents and with them having a full pre-season here as well it can only benefit the team.”
Stoke are in the market to add to their strike department, where Ennis, Emre Tezgel, Nathan Lowe and Ryan Mmaee are competing for a leading role.
Interest has been rumoured in QPR striker Sinclair Armstrong, who is also being linked with Bristol City.
Ennis said: “There is always competition, no matter what level. It gets the best out of everyone. We all want to win, we all want to score goals and help the team.”
He made 14 appearances in the run-in, including seven starts, and if there were frustrations that he couldn’t play more minutes – at Blackburn as well as at Stoke – he looks at that philosophically.
“It’s football. It’s not always up, there are downs as well,” he said. “You have to take the rough with the smooth and keep your mind focused.
“Obviously as a striker I want to get goals and put in good performances. It’s about putting the work in now to get used to hitting the back of the net, which I know I can do. It’s just applying it into an actual match.”
Stoke are believed to be closing in on a deal for 19-year-old Poland youth midfielder Wiktor Gromek, who joined Lecce last summer.