Rio's too good for Ryan
Promising United defender Ryan Shawcross has ditched Rio Ferdinand
as his role model in favour of a rival club's
captain.
But the young Red isn't being disloyal when he cites Chelsea's John
Terry as the example he follows - he's merely making an honest
appraisal of his style.
"Terry's the main one, hes a tough defender," says Shawcross. I
used to model myself on Rio but hes too good on the ball for
me.
Powerful centre-back Shawcross, 20, is currently on a six month
loan deal at Stoke City and enjoying every second of it. He's
making a big impact in the Championship and was the division's
Player of the Month for October.
Ive enjoyed it because Ive been playing a lot of games and
scoring a few goals," explains Shawcross.
I came to Stoke for first team experience and thats what Ive
got.
Ryan's first team experience at United has so far been limited to
pre-season friendlies and just two competitive games - his debut in
last season's Carling Cup victory at Crewe and the defeat at
Southend in the next round. He then spent several months at Royal
Antwerp in Belgium, helping them to reach the play-offs.