Shawcross grateful for support

Shawcross: Putting incident behind him

Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross has revealed he received messages of support from Sir Alex Ferguson and Steven Gerrard in the wake of his tackle which broke Aaron Ramsey's leg.

The former Manchester United youngster was visibly distraught after being sent off for the late challenge during Arsenal's 3-1 win at the Britannia Stadium last month.

Having now served his three-match ban, Shawcross is available to boss Tony Pulis as Stoke host Tottenham on Saturday and is expected to play for the first time since the incident.

After receiving messages of support from fans in abundance, the 22-year-old is keen to put the episode behind him and continue his promising career after recently receiving an England call-up.

"It was a big downer after that incident and then I got the England call-up, which was a fantastic achievement," said the centre-half.

"That's the end of it. We made contact but I'd like to keep that between me and Aaron. I just want to concentrate on football and Aaron has to concentrate on getting back to full fitness."

Backing

The horrific injury ended Ramsey's season but the teenager is expected to make a full recovery, with Shawcross revealing he had the backing of two of the game's biggest figures.

"Sir Alex (Ferguson) rang me after the Carling Cup final, which was good of him, and we had a good chat and that was just something to lift my spirits," he said.

"That is the man he is and he is a fantastic manager and even when you leave he keeps in contact and makes sure you are all right.

"That is probably why he is one of the best managers there has been."

He added: "I got a text from Steven Gerrard to say I was welcome in the (England) squad, so straight away I knew they would be fine with me.

"He was checking I was fine. He didn't have to do it but it shows what kind of character he is in helping someone out.

"I was quite surprised how quickly I was back to normal. I knew straight after I was going to be the same player and make tackles.

"It was an accident and these things happen in football - I'm not going to change the way I play. If I get chance to play on Saturday I will play my normal game as I always have done."