Tuncay scored five goals in his first season at the Britannia Stadium

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has been impressed with the improvement that striker Tuncay has made with his fitness levels during the summer.

Turkey international Tuncay, 28, joined the Potters from Championship side Middlesbrough for £5m in August 2009.

But he struggled to make a real impact, starting just 13 Premier League games.

"Tuncay's worked hard in pre-season and he's looked sharp," Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke. "He looks a lot fitter than he was last year."

Tuncay netted a hat-trick in Stoke's 6-0 friendly victory against Newcastle Town on Saturday and is expected to be part of the squad travelling to Pride Park on Tuesday night to face Derby County.

"It's very important that people recognise that we are overloading the players at the moment," added Pulis.

"We're not preparing as we would do if it was a league game and we're making sure that they get a lot of work done."

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