Ryan Shawcross

Ryan James Shawcross (born 4 October 1987) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Stoke City.

He previously was on the books of Manchester United, and had loan spells at Royal Antwerp and Stoke City respectively, before joining the latter permanently during January 2008. He was appointed as Stoke's captain in 2010. He has also represented England Under-21s, making his debut in a UEFA Under-21 Championship Qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland in January 2008.

Early life

Born in Chester, England, Shawcross was raised in Buckley, Flintshire, Wales and attended Elfed High School in Buckley. While living in Buckley, Shawcross played for his local team Buckley Town's youth team in the Cymru Alliance.

During his primary school days, Shawcross played representative level football for Flintshire Boys; this team counts Gary Speed, Michael Owen and Ian Rush amongst its former players. Shawcross' younger brother, Rory, also a defender, has also played for this team. When Shawcross was 15 years old, he and a number of Flintshire Boys players had a trial at Football League club Wrexham; Wrexham offered contracts to some players but not to Shawcross. However, just three weeks later, he had a trial at Manchester United and was offered a contract at their academy.

Club career

Manchester United

Early in his Manchester United career, Shawcross made 22 appearances...
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