Stoke City boss Mark Hughes says Bojan Krkic remains in his plans.
The striker saw action in last night's Capital One Cup defeat to Southampton.
Hughes said: "I thought he did okay, up to a point.
"It's clear when he's got time and space that he's technically a very clever player and one that will do really well for us.
"It's a little bit hard at the moment because the physicality, going up against good Premier League teams, is difficult and it's not what he's been used to.
"But he'll get used to it very quickly, I just need to give him game time, and that was the opportunity, just to get him back in the team and see how he did.
"In the end, 20 minutes to go, we needed to chase the game so I brought Peter (Crouch) on."
Hughes dismissed suggestions Bojan - who has also played for Roma, AC Milan and Ajax - has been too slow adjusting to English football, saying: "We all felt it would take him time.
"It invariably does when players come from different leagues and different styles of play. It's a long old season, as we all know, and he'll get better and he'll have an impact on us without a shadow of a doubt."
