Manchester City Transfer News: Wilfried Bony Attitude Rumours Denied by Stoke

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has denied rumours suggesting he and the club are unhappy with Manchester City loanee Wilfried Bony due to the striker's questionable attitude and poor work rate. 

According to the Mirror's David Anderson, the Ivorian is the highest-paid player at Stoke—who have shouldered the majority of his £120,000 per-week wage packet—but has failed to impress. Hughes refuted the report, however:

Bony has made three appearances for the Potters but has yet to find the back of the net.

As a result, Anderson reported his "team-mates believe he is not providing the Midlands club with value for money," while former club Swansea City were dissuaded from bringing him back to the Liberty Stadium in the summer due to concerns over his attitude.

The 27-year-old struggled at City but had previously thrived with the Swans, where he netted 35 times in 70 appearances, including 20 Premier League goals in 2014—the highest tally of any player that calendar year.

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Indeed, Stoke's acquisition of him late in the transfer window earned widespread praise from the likes of Bleacher Report UK's Sam Tighe and former Potters star Danny Higginbotham:

Bony has featured twice for Stoke in the league, but the Potters shipped four goals in each and scored only once, with the Ivory Coast international failing to make a significant impact.

Football writer James Whittaker feels criticism of Bony is harsh, however:

Indeed, Stoke have endured a woeful start to their 2016-17 campaign, and they were already in poor form prior to Bony making his first appearance.

While his arrival in the team has not given them the lift Hughes would have been hoping for, there is little the striker can do when Stoke are yet to keep a clean sheet and have conceded four goals on three separate occasions.

The Potters face West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United, Sunderland and Hull City in their next four fixtures—those games should give Bony the chance to prove himself.