Whitehead is a key member of a new looking coaching staff at Stoke under the leadership of Narcis Pelach, who was appointed coming up to three weeks ago. He hadn’t previously worked with Pelach but they had known each other through mutual connections, particularly at Huddersfield Town, and were keen to get a job together.

It helps too that Whitehead knows Stoke well, having spent four successful seasons in the Potteries from 2009. He was in the squad that reached the 2011 FA Cup final and he played in Europe in red and white in 2011/12, scoring in an away win against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

He went on to play for Middlesbrough and Huddersfield and has been busy building his

coaching CV since hanging up his boots, with time spent at Shrewsbury and Cardiff as well as with Darrell Clarke at Port Vale and Barnsley and with Valerien Ismael at Besiktas and Watford.

“It’s been a whirlwind three weeks,” he wrote on social media after Stoke’s 0-0 draw at Swansea to head into an international break. “Thank you Barnsley for not standing in my way and allowing me to join Stoke City, a club that holds a lot of great memories for me and my family. Delighted to be here. We will work to our maximum to bring the good times back.”

Ben Wilmot says the arrival of Narcis Pelach as head coach has been a ‘breath of fresh air’ as players are put through double training sessions and hit with an overload of information

Ben Wilmot knows Stoke City have to find the long-missing ingredient of consistency to haul themselves up the Championship table – and, in turn, points to how he believes Narcis Pelach will help to bring that to the squad.

Wilmot has now played under four managers or head coaches since joining Stoke from Watford three years ago, with Pelach brought in three weeks ago to arrest a series of bottom-half finishes and tap into the potential of a young changing room.