Shawcross hopeful of Butland stay

 

Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross is hopeful the club can keep hold of No.1 goalkeeper Jack Butland for many years to come.

 

Butland, 22, has arguably been Stoke’s best player so far this season and is set to see his form rewarded with his senior England debut on Tuesday night.

 

The former England U21 captain has courted a lot of praise during his short career and Shawcross is hopeful the Potters can fend off any interest that will come in for the youngster.

 

“We seem to have a problem that if our keepers play so well they move on so we will have to be careful he doesn’t have too many saves to make,” Shawcross is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.

 

“Jack signed a long contract and he’s a top keeper. Hopefully we can keep him for as long as we can.”

 

Shawcross hopeful of Butland stay

 

Mark Hughes’ side have only managed two wins from their opening eight league matches thus far, but their position in the table could be even more ominous had it not been for several inspired performances from Butland between the sticks. In fact, no goalkeeper has made more saves than Stoke’s No.1 shot-stopper thus far (37).

 

For more stats on Jack Butland, click here to visit his WhoScored player page