Shawcross shaping Ngoy’s future at Potters

Julien Ngoy was not a name anybody expected to see in the Stoke City squad so soon, but the Belgian has thanked captain Ryan Shawcross for helping to fast-track his progress.

The 18-year-old was part of pre-season trips to Austria and Germany and was named in the Premier League matchday squad to face Everton at Goodison Park last month.

Stoke fought off Real Madrid and Manchester United for Ngoy’s signature and Shawcross has been nurturing the youngster, who is now keen to start making his presence felt regularly for Mark Hughes’ side in the Premier League.

“I had already spoken to Ryan last season before I first started working with the first-team squad and when he saw me play he said he was happy with what I was producing and how I was going about my work,” Ngoy explained.

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

“He talked to me a lot in pre-season too and really showed his leadership skills as the captain.

“The squad made it easy for me. Mame Diouf and Giannelli Imbula helped and Ryan Shawcross was always showing me what to do too, which can only be a good thing for me.

“To be around the first-team was a really good experience for me. It was nice to be around a couple of the French players too because it helped me to settle in amongst the squad and made it a little easier to get involved.”