The former Northern Ireland manager has been expected to push Stoke towards a promotion challenge in the Championship this season, but they have endured a poor start.

 

The Potters currently sit just one point and one place outside the bottom three and have lost three of their opening five league games.

 

 

They went down to a 1-0 defeat at home against Sunderland at the weekend and Stoke have now decided to show O’Neill the door, having lost faith in the 53-year-old.

 

The decision coming just days ahead of the closure of the summer transfer window could raise some eyebrows as any new manager will have limited time to make his mark on the squad.

 

 

Stoke appointed O’Neill towards the end of 2019.

 

He led the Potters to a finish of 14th in the Championship last season, 13 points off the final playoff spot.

 

 

Stoke are next in action away at Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Blackburn Rovers side this weekend, before they then play host to Swansea City.