Shawcross: “The owners’ vision makes you want to be involved with the Club”

Por Inter Miami CF

20 de February de 2021

Inter Miami announced the signing of experienced English defender Ryan Shawcross on a free transfer today. The center back joins the Club after spending 14 years with Stoke City FC in the English Premier League and EFL Championship, where he has served as captain since 2010.

For Shawcross, the change in scenery offers an exciting new challenge in his accomplished career.

“It’s really exciting. It’s a great opportunity. I’ve read loads about Inter Miami and seen loads of videos from last year, I’m really excited to be part of the team and looking forward to helping out,” said Shawcross. “Originally, I had seen the press about it when the Club first started, and you see the owners and the vision they have, and you can’t help but want to be involved with it. It’s a fantastic setup…The fantastic facilities are something to be really excited about, and then you hear about the fans and how enthusiastic and passionate they are. There’s so many things going for the Club and for such a young club, a new club to have all these things going for it, it’s just a fantastic opportunity for me. I can’t wait to get started and hopefully contribute in a good way.”

With the new challenge ahead, Shawcross is focused on bringing the best of himself to Inter Miami by doing what he’s always done: work hard.

“I’m just looking to be myself, the only thing I can do is do what I’ve done throughout my career and that’s try hard, do my best, and try to set the standards and contribute to the team. I’m going to be coming into a new squad and try to improve myself, improve the people around me, and try to help out as much as I can.”

Shawcross: “The owners’ vision makes you want to be involved with the Club”

“I just want us to improve as a team, to improve myself. As a player you never stop improving. I’m coming to a new country, a new club, a new league. There are so many challenges for me to try to accomplish and so many different questions I’ve got for myself and can I achieve them… I’m hoping I can add to the team. There are loads of things that I’m sure there will be doubts about because it’s a new country, new league. These are doubts that I’m sure in the coming weeks and months I’ll prove people wrong.”

Shawcross also feels he is the latest in a line of additions by the Club that shows its commitment to a strong culture and DNA of hard work and high standards.

“It all comes down to the owners, what they want to do, and the people they’re bringing in, the certain type of characters they’re bringing in. I think it shows the kind of standards and culture they want at the Club. If you have high standards, then you perform well on the pitch. That’s something I’ve seen from what they’ve said and what they’ve done in the past. Hopefully that’s something that I can add to. My main job is performing on the pitch and if I can do that then that would be great.”

The prospect of plying his trade in North America has always appealed to Shawcross thanks to a few preseason adventures on the continent. Now, he’ll have the opportunity to compete in MLS with Inter Miami.

“It’s something that I’ve always watched out for, I’ve done a few preseasons in North America and I’ve always liked going to different locations. I’ve been to Columbus, Dallas, all these different places and the facilities have always been brilliant. I’ve always expected it to have a bit of a boom, especially with David Beckham a while ago, and it seems to be getting bigger and bigger. It’s something I wanted to be part of. Obviously Inter Miami has made some big signings with Higuaín, Matuidi and some really good players. It’s an interesting proposition I really wanted to get involved in. And obviously the new manager coming in Phil Neville, with all his experience it’s another great acquisition for the Club - it’s a club going places.”

Lastly, Shawcross had a message for Inter Miami’s loyal supporters, sharing his excitement to play in front of them and emphasizing their importance to the Club.

“I can’t wait to meet the fans and see them at the ground. I’ve seen loads of videos of them showing their passion and that’s a key part of what we all want going forward, using that fan passion and desire for us to improve and go and have a great season. We can’t do that without the fans. The fans are a vital part of the Club, probably the most important part. It’s important that we embrace that and use it to our advantage. We need them on board and hopefully we can play some great football and hopefully have a great season.”

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