Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam believes manager Mark Hughes is facing a selection headache following Sunday’s 1-0 win over Watford.

The Potters made a poor start to the campaign but have been much improved of late and Sunday’s triumph saw them climb to 11th in the Premier League.

Adam has been handed more opportunities to start for Stoke over the last few weeks due to injuries and he is one of a number of players to take their chance.

The Scot’s header led to the only goal of the game at Watford as it bounced back off the post and was eventually turned in by goalkeeper Huerelho Gomes.

Hughes was forced to shuffle the pack for the trip to Vicarage Road with Ryan Shawcross, Phil Bardsley and Glenn Whelan out injured, while Joe Allen was suspended. Gianelli Imbula was recalled to the midfield to partner Adam with Glen Johnson and Marc Muniesa slotting in seamlessly at the back.

The former Blackpool man believes Hughes will now have a tough job picking his starting line-up for next weekend’s home clash with Burnley.

Adam said: “It was an excellent performance. “We had a few key players missing but the lads who came in were excellent and it’s the manager’s headache next week.

“We knew Watford would come at us in the first half but we were excellent all game. “That’s the character you have to show when you’re not playing.

When you come into a team that’s playing well you have to stamp your authority. “It’s a headache for the manager next week but it’s a good one to have.

It’s nice to see us in the top half. It was a great away performance and we’ll move on to Burnley at home.” The Potters can be backed at 1.67 to pick up another win next weekend, while Burnley are priced at 5.50 to come out on top and the draw is available at 3.80.