Neil Warnock believes the international break has given Anton Ferdinand crucial time to get his head right amid the racism row with Chelsea and England captain John Terry.
The Queens Park Rangers defender has been the centre of attention since the west London derby against Chelsea last month when it is alleged that Terry abused him with a racist remark.
The incident is still the subject of an investigation by the police and the Football Association and Ferdinand admitted in a statement on October 31 that he has "very strong feelings on the matter".
Claims that he has received death threats followed, while Chelsea fans chanted: 'Anton Ferdinand - you know what you are' during the Champions League game at Genk two weeks ago.
However, Warnock expects Ferdinand to be back to his best at Stoke on Saturday and told Standard Sport: "There have been so many upheavals it has been difficult for him to concentrate.
"He really defended poorly for the first goal against Manchester City but I wasn't surprised because the days before that, with all that was going on, was a nightmare for him. It has affected him more than anybody.
"The international break came at a good time for him. He has had a chance to put it to the back of his mind, get it out the way and get on with things."
Warnock revealed that City boss Roberto Mancini regards his team as their hardest opponents this term.
"I bumped into Roberto at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and he told me that we had given them their toughest game of the season," said Warnock.
"I am still disappointed about the result [QPR lost 3-2] because we played our best football for years and it took them by surprise. We deserved to get a good result and you could tell by how down our players were in the dressing room that they felt the same."
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Warnock has continued to focus on his health during the international break, having started a diet in the summer and been reminded about the pressures of the job by Spurs boss Harry Redknapp's heart scare.
The 63-year-old said: "When I saw what happened with Harry it just proved to me that what I'm doing is the right thing. You have to be fitter as a manager these days. You have to prioritise your health, especially as a football manager at our age. There is a lot of hard work involved.
"If you do your own training session you feel healthier and when you're around all these young professionals, you simply can't be mentally tired. My daughter, Amy, inspired me to get healthier because she saw a picture of me celebrating promotion last season and didn't like my second chin.
"I had already been asked by the Wellness Centre in London to come in for a medical and I was embarrassed by what Amy said to me.
"I started a diet in June and went for the medical in August. It went well, I felt great and I have never been fitter but it is still hard to do all the exercise I want to because there always seems so much to do after training. I have sent Harry a text wishing him all the best and we had a bit of banter."
Warnock is preparing for Saturday's clash at Stoke, a club he says QPR should copy. Stoke are often criticised for their style of play but Warnock said: "I admire what Stoke have done in the Premier League and they are a club I want QPR to emulate.
"Tony Pulis has done a remarkable job. They are now an established Premier League club and that is what we want to become.
"How they have done it is the same principle as what we are trying to do, staying up in the first season and then buying better players each year. It is a natural progression.
"We will look to stay up this season, then bring another four or five better players in the summer and go again.
"As for the game, I have been studying their set-pieces this week.
"If you play against them you always need a bit of luck because they are so good at them."
