England under-21s striker has had ups and downs on loan at Stoke City
05:00, 09 Jan 2026
Divin Mubama with his hat-trick ball in November.
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Divin Mubama with his hat-trick ball in November.(Image: Mark Kerton/Shutterstock)
Divin Mubama will be out to prove that Stoke City don’t need to go searching for a new striker to lead them into the Championship play-offs.
Mubama, aged 21, is half-way through his first season of regular men’s football, on loan at Stoke from Manchester City.
He has been trusted with plenty of game time at the top of the centre-forward pecking order by Mark Robins and scored five times in 19 starts and five substitute appearances.
But, as nearly always, there are challenges that come with first loans as well as flashes of potential and Mubama has had downs as well as ups along the way.
He scored a hat-trick against Bristol City on November 1 but hasn’t found the net since then and he was barracked for his efforts against Sheffield United shortly after Christmas. Things can change quickly in football, particularly with so many games coming so quickly in the Championship.
Any club in this division would be hard pressed to find a better young striker in the country on reputation than the current starting number 9 for England under-21s but Stoke know they need more goals to sustain a drive for the top six.
There is not believed to be a recall clause in the loan agreement and all three parties would have to agree if they were to end it now.
That doesn’t look very likely at the moment, particularly after an injury to fellow forward Robert Bozenik – and there is hope and expectation that Mubama can show for Stoke in the next few months what previous Stoke loanees – from Liam Delap to Jaden Philogene – soon went on to show at their next clubs.
Sheron: When things are going against you, work harder
Mike Sheron, a former young Man City striker who found the form of his career at Stoke in the mid-1990s, has been a popular addition to Radio Stoke’s match day team.
Sheron has been a youth coach at Blackburn recently – bringing through players like Ashley Phillips as well as Adam Wharton – and he knows the difficulties that first loans can pose.
He said on Praise and Grumble: “Mark Robins will know better than me, I’m just judging from performances. It’s nothing a goal wouldn’t help but you have to keep working hard at this level.
“He had one chance early on at Norwich that got blocked but you have to keep getting in those positions. When things are going against you, you have to work harder. It’s something I’m sure he’s being told by the coaching staff at the club.
“Harry Kane didn’t do particularly well in his first loans and, going back to my day, I remember Graham Kavanagh struggling when he first came to us on loan. He said he didn’t know how to react because it was the first time he had come across struggle as a footballer.
“You need to keep your eye on these lads. He’s definitely got a talent. He has to somehow find a way of performing at a level that is reliable for the team, being competent, being a threat, and eventually his luck will change.”
The question that Man City staff will be asking their scouts is whether he is doing enough at the moment to show he is a prospect for them.
“Not enough as of yet,” said Sheron. “I felt like there was an improvement at Norwich when he got involved in link-up play and got his body in and made a few more runs. Perhaps that was because we were probably in possession of the ball more.
“But Mark Robins knows. He was a striker himself and he proved at Coventry, with Gyokeres and Simms, he can get strikers scoring goals. I’m sure Mark will be the better judge of that really.”
Robins: How good he can get is up to him
Mark Robins might have a reputation for getting strikers scoring regularly but it’s never a gimme.
He said back after Mubama had scored that hat-trick: “He’s a good player. How good he can get is genuinely up to him. You give him a platform. He’s a Manchester City player and somebody who has been bought from West Ham. We’ve been lucky enough to be trusted with him and his development.
“I think, overall, it’s a really good place for him to be. He’s going to get opportunity. He’s going to get some goals. He’s going to get some knock backs and knocks along the way which will go to make him an experienced player – you’re really a product of your experiences and I hope he will get some really good ones here.
“We’re delighted we’ve got him. He’s listening and he’s studious and when he puts things into practice it’s great.”
Robins was clear he didn't think it would help anyone when Mubama got it in the neck against Sheff Utd, but that wasn't giving any player a free pass either.
He said: “He knows. What I would say is that he has to be better and understand what is required of him. Perceptions are everything really and you have to make sure that is right first.
“I understand, I’m not stupid, but I would ask that doesn’t happen because it doesn’t help anybody. If I feel that someone is not performing or underperforming then it is down to me to make sure they do or they don’t start. It’s as simple as that. You have to earn the right to be in the team.
“Players always pick the team. They always pick the team with their performances.
“I just ask them to be a little bit more forgiving and let me deal with the other stuff and not to boo. It’s not really what we want to be about.”
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