Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has claimed that money was not the key factor in Xherdan Shaqiri's decision to join the club.
The Potters caused a surprise by completing a £12m deal with Inter Milan for the Switzerland international, but Shaqiri was unable to escape criticism earlier this week when former Bayern Munich midfielder Stefan Effenberg suggested that he had been "badly advised" ahead of the move.
However, Hughes believes that securing regular minutes on the pitch was the main attraction for the 23-year-old, who was reported to be closing in on a switch to Schalke 04 earlier in the transfer window.
"There is a financial angle, which you accept, but it is about playing," the Stoke boss told reporters. "He is a young man and he wants to get back on track.
"He has been at two big European clubs but hasn't had the benefit of playing week in, week out for a number of years and maybe that is the attraction."
Shaqiri could make his debut against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
Callum Mulvihill
