Robert Huth has advised Roy Hodgson, the manager of the England national football team, that he should give Ryan Shawcross a few more opportunities.
Shawcross made his debut for England in a friendly match against Sweden which was played a few days ago. Shawcross didn’t get a starting opportunity in his debut match and he was sent onto the field when 15 minutes were left in the match. At that time, England was ahead by 2-1.
Shawcross looked pretty tentative in his debut match and made some mistakes which proved to be costly for England. He didn’t look a confident player during his 15 minutes stay on the field. During those 15 minutes, the match turned on its head. Zlatan Ibrahimovic fired in three goals in those 15 minutes and England eventually lost the match by 2-4.
Robert Huth believes that the potential of a player cannot be judged on the basis of his performance in one match. Talking to the reporters after the match between Stoke City and West Ham, Huth said, “Shawcross has been a quality defender for us since the last 5 years. He was fantastic in this match as well. He played for full 90 minutes and was at the peak of his game. He is really a fantastic, young player.”
When asked about the performance of Shawcross in the match against Sweden, Huth said, “Look, it was his debut match and every player gets nervous when he represents his country for the first time. His performance was pretty dismal in that match, but, it was only because he was nervous. There is no lack of ability in him. He is a highly skilled defender.”
“I think Roy Hodgson should keep persisting with him in a few more games. You cannot judge how good a player is on the basis of just one performance. You need to give him a go in at least five games and only then, you can judge his potential.”