Shawcross Joins England after Ramsey Leg Break
Ryan Shawcross, the Stoke City defender, has joined England’s national team for the first time. This comes despite the 22-year-old finding himself in an unfortunate disaster that made news headlines over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Potters went up against Arsenal in a match that sadly ended midfielder Aaron Ramsey’s season. Shawcross went in for a tackle to make a play on the ball, but his misjudgment injured Ramsey, fracturing his tibia and fibula. The defender left the field in tears, and the midfielder had surgery on his leg that night.
Shawcross has been criticized for what initially looked like a malicious challenge, but it was ruled otherwise. The defender’s teammates have been supporting him, saying that he didn’t intend to hurt his rival, but the injury was unfortunate.
Shawcross has also gained the backing of England manager Fabio Capello, according to the team’s staff. Capello even added the defender to his lineup against Egypt on Wednesday at Wembley, but not after Shawcross’s hesitation due to the incident the night before. Potters manager Tony Pulis talked with the defender, and later on Sunday he was seen arriving at the national team’s Hertfordshire base.
Meanwhile, Arsenal has posted a statement on their website, saying that the surgery on Ramsey’s leg successfully reduced the fractures. However, they said that he will miss the rest of the season at least, while other reports say that he could miss up to a year of football. The website statement gave their best wishes to Ramsey and hope he will have a speedy recovery.