Shawcross gets England call
Posted Sunday, February 28, 2010 by PA
Ryan Shawcross was driven out of the Britannia Stadium in tears by his mum following his red card against Arsenal - then learned he had been picked for England.
In a squad to face Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday notable for the inclusions of Theo Walcott and Stewart Downing, and the exclusion of Joe Cole, Shawcross' name stands out.
That Fabio Capello made reference on Friday of his intention to select a rookie central defender to tackle the African Nations Cup winners only made the timing of Shawcross' horror lunge at Aaron Ramsey as awful as the challenge itself.
Capello and trusted assistant Franco Baldini even delayed the announcement of their squad by 40 minutes to have one last discussion about Shawcross' presence given the severity of the injury Ramsey is thought to have suffered during Arsenal's win at Stoke.
But Shawcross' obvious remorse over the incident, for which he was sent off, weighed heavily in the 22-year-old's favour and Capello opted to stick with his original intention to pick the Chester-born youngster.
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