Shawcross happy to stay a Stokie

The 21-year-old former Manchester United stopper has made 68 league appearances for the Potters since arriving - initially on loan - from Old Trafford in 2007.

Shawcross was a major part of Stoke's promotion to the Premier League in 2007/08, and impressed in last Saturday’s 2-0 win over newly-promoted Burnley after heading home the opener.

As a result, the England U21 international has been linked with a switch away from the Midlands, after reports suggested Shawcross' former employers United, as well as Liverpool, were keen on recruiting the centre-back before the end of the month.

However, the youngster has since moved to quash talk of him departing for pastures new, insisting he is happy to stay put.

“It doesn’t bother me. If you look in the papers, every day there’s a different player linked to every club,” he told the Stoke Sentinel.

“No one has made a bid and nothing has happened, so as far as I am concerned, I am a Stoke player and no one has told me differently.

“There’s nothing going on. Someone has written something in the paper and then everyone has jumped on the bandwagon.

“It happens to a lot of players, but I am a Stoke player.”

While the Potters' chairman, Peter Coates, confirmed that United had not made an approach for the defender.

“They certainly haven’t contacted me," he said.

“And I’m sure they haven’t made contact with anyone else.”