Stoke City striker must react to Mark Robins advice ASAP - He could be on the chopping block come January | OneFootball

Mark Robins has fired a warning to one of his strikers after failing to impact his team's output

Stoke City striker Robert Bozenik has been handed a clear warning by manager Mark Robins, which he must listen to in order to save his Potters career.

The Staffordshire outfit have been one of this season’s surprise Championship packages, after coming uncomfortably close to relegation from the division last year.

After suffering relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Stoke have failed to finish higher than 14th in the second-tier, which has been massively frustrating for supporters at the bet365 Stadium.

That looks like it will finally change this year, with Robins’ side picking up points in 12 of their first 18 matches to sit fourth in the standings. Just three points separate them from the automatic promotion places and given how tightly compact the division is this year, there could be a real opportunity for the Potters to make a Premier League return.

Although Robins will be proud of how his side has performed so far, he has called for some members of his team to start upping their contribution.

In a recent press conference, the former Coventry City manager focussed on summer signing Robert Bozenik, who moved to the club for free after his previous side, Boavista, were relegated.

Robert Bozenik must act upon recent Mark Robins warning

Although Stoke have been a competitive force so far this season, the same can’t be said for Bozenik, who has struggled in his adaptation to the English game.

The 26-year-old has made 12 Championship appearances, with only four of these being starts and is yet to provide a single goal contribution. He has made the starting 11 for the Potters’ last two encounters but failed to net on either occasion.

Bozenik did see a strike disallowed against Charlton Athletic, but with confidence slowly dropping, he could slowly drop down the pecking order at the bet365 Stadium.

Robins addressed this issue after Stoke’s 2-1 defeat against Hull City, where the Slovakian striker struggled to trouble the Tigers’ backline.

"He’s had one disallowed, he’s just the wrong side of the defender," stated the Potters boss to StokeonTrentLive. "He needs one to go in off his backside. He’s got to get something to sustain your position in the team.

"You’ve got to contribute, whether that’s contributing to others scoring goals, bringing others into play or getting on the end of things but certainly making yourself a nuisance.

"That’s the same that can be said for all our strikers and at times in the season you have really good times and you have a little dip. It’s not a criticism of anybody really, you’ve got to be as good as you can for most of that time and continue to work."

Whilst admitting that Bozenik perhaps needs a bit of fortune to help him get off the mark for Stoke, Robins did also warn the forward that everyone in the team needs to contribute to their cause.

In a promotion battle, little time can be afforded to players who are failing to perform at the required level, especially when that is in front of goal. If Bozenik gets to the January window and still hasn’t found his feet, serious questions may start getting asked about his role in the team.

Stoke have been loosely linked with a move to bring Tom Cannon back to the club after suffering a tough time at Sheffield United this season, which means that Robins might have the market in-mind to bring a new goalscorer to the club.

If the Potters do buy a new forward in January, Bozenik may seriously struggle for minutes in the second half of the season, especially when Divin Mubama and Sam Gallagher are added into the equation.

If Robins is considering whether to recruit a new forward in January, Bozenik must use the hectic festive period ahead to his advantage.

With Stoke set to play seven games from Saturday 6th December until New Year’s Day, there will no doubt be plenty of rotation from the Potters boss as he looks to manage minutes and avoid any costly injuries.

This means that the Slovakian will get multiple opportunities to prove his worth in front of goal and finally start contributing to his team’s output.

If he does this successfully, it may prove to Robins that the striker can still be an important element in his team and that further business in January won’t be necessary.

However, if Bozenik continues in his current vein of form, it could be the deciding factor which pushes Stoke into making another addition.

The 26-year-old must make sure he comes out on the right side of this scenario to ensure his future at the bet365 Stadium is secure, with Robins' words ringing in his ear.