New Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has admitted that he is impressed with the squad so far in pre-season training.

The Welshman assessed his players for the first time on Monday ahead of their trip to France for a fitness camp at the end of the week.

"First impressions have been good," Hughes told the club's official website. "But first and foremost, I've been really pleased with the attitude and application - I think that's really important because if you've got a good group you can put things to them and try and work with them."

Stoke start the new Premier League campaign at Liverpool on August 17.