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18 league and cup starts have brought seven goals so far for the 22-year-old midfielder, who had just five goals to his name in the previous three years since his first team debut.
His enthusiasm for training as well as playing is obvious as he says,
“It’s nothing extraordinary but I just love being at the club and being around the place. The manager has made it a great place for the players. There is a new gym there and everything we need. It feels very homely.
“The manager sets targets for individuals, and the work we do in small groups is intense and spot on. I have got more confidence this season and that is because the manager has shown his confidence and trust in me and my ability – even though I had to fight to get in initially.
“I think last season I was used more to plug gaps and it was hard to be consistent and find my best form. This year I think I have done that but I still feel I can get even better still.
“I have certainly been helped in that regard by the extra work that I did in the summer. At the end of the last season we had a martial arts expert at the training ground doing a few sessions and I felt that I benefited from those.”
Manager Mark Hughes is also pleased with what he has seen from Stephen, and he adds:
“The credit needs to go to Stephen, he worked exceptionally hard in the summer and what we have done is enable him to prosper on a day-to-day basis. He’s reaping the benefits, and so are we.
“He’s a great player, a great talent, maybe he wasn’t consistent in the past, but he certainly is this year. He continues to get into forward positions, and he could have had a few more goals this season. He gets into good areas, makes space for himself and I think he will score a lot this year.”
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