Ex-Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis comments on Stoke City situation and Serge Gnabry's performance against Tottenham

The Potters are bottom of the Championship with just two points from ten games this season, as pressure continues to mount on manager Nathan Jones.

Pulis was linked with a shock return to Stoke earlier this week and was asked about the situation at the bet365 Stadium on Tuesday night.

"He (Jones) has got a very, very experienced chairman in Peter Coates, and that's what he needs at the moment," said Pulis while appearing as a pundit on Sky Sports.

"He needs someone who's going to put an arm around him and who motivates the manager when things are not going well.

"I've had experience of Peter and he will be absolutely fantastic - but they certainly need to win games.

"The worst thing about it is that Nathan has brought a lot of players in, and at the beginning of the season, Stoke would have been a lot of people's favourites to have been there or thereabouts."

When asked about the reports linking him to Stoke, Pulis said: "I'd never ever talk about another manager's job while he's in there."

Pulis was also asked about Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry who scored four goals in Tuesday’s 7-2 Champions League victory over Tottenham.

The former Arsenal winger was sent out on loan to West Brom during Pulis time at the club and was criticised by the Welshman.

“Well, I’m amazed,” said Pulis when asked about the Gnabry. “We had him at West Brom, we took him on loan and we could never get him fit. ‘I think he even got taken off in an Under-21 game. He went back to Arsenal, they sold him on.

“He was a good kid, a nice kid, didn’t mind him at all. He’s fulfilled his potential.

“You could knock me over with a feather having worked with him at West Brom and seen him there to what he’s done is absolutely amazing.

“When people show what they can really do and really knuckle down and become so good as he’s done, it’s absolutely fantastic. The kid’s done fantastic.”