Stoke City boss Alex Neil explains why he allowed D'Margio Wright-Phillips to leave on loan

Stoke City manager Alex Neil has outlined why he allowed D’Margio Wright-Phillips to leave the club and join Northampton on loan for the rest of the season.

The 21-year-old attacker had been in and around the first-team squad at the Potters this season but only made eight appearances in league and cup, none of which were starts.

Some Stoke fans had been clamouring for Wright-Phillips to be given more of an opportunity but Cobblers, who started tracking him before the window opened, eventually got a deal over the line with just minutes to spare on deadline day.

He will now spend the rest of the season at Sixfields and Neil believes the move works for all parties.

"D’Margio needed to go and play,” he said. “It’s an area of the park where we have a lot of bodies, whether it’s the number 10 position or out wide.

"We have Bersant Celina who can play there, we have Will Smallbone who can play there, we have Nick Powell who can play there. Lewis (Baker) has played in that position as well.

"We have a lot of guys who can do that role and it’s not a position, even with D’Margio going out, where we are going to be short on.

"I think, for him, he didn’t get enough minutes between the start of the season and January but now I feel it’s vitally important that he goes out and plays regularly and shows everybody what he can do.”