Sir Alex Ferguson says Ryan Shawcross should not have left Manchester United

SIR Alex Ferguson says he had second thoughts about letting Ryan Shawcross leave Manchester United – but it was too late because the centre-half had put pen to paper with Stoke.

Shawcross, pictured below, returned to his former club last night but, despite an impressive individual display, couldn't stop City losing 2-0 courtesy of penalties in each half from Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov.

ADMIRER: Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is full of praise for the man he let go, Stoke's Ryan Shawcross.

The defender joined Stoke from United in January 2008 in a £2m package, having impressed on loan for City in the first half of that Championship season.

Ferguson said he only agreed to let Shawcross go because he also had Gerard Pique – now a star with Barcelona and Spain – on the books.

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The Manchester United manager explained: "It always grieves me when I have to release a young player of great potential, and Shawcross certainly fell into that category.

"He had the misfortune – though he perhaps doesn't see it that way considering the success he has had with Stoke – of coming through along with a number of other young defenders.

"This was the era of Gerard Pique and we kept him at Ryan's expense, only I didn't know that Gerard was growing homesick and soon after was telling us he wanted to go back to Spain.

"He has prospered with Barcelona as we know, and if I had known he wanted away then I would have kept Ryan Shawcross."

Shawcross came up against two of his former United youth-team colleagues last night, defender Jonny Evans, and Ben Amos, who was drafted in because keepers David De Gea and Anders Lindegaard were ruled out with illness and injury.

Ferguson, in last night's match programme, said Shawcross was part of a promising youth side.

He said: "We had some good defenders around that time. I remember playing Stoke one night at Hyde in the FA Youth Cup with a back line of Shawcross, Pique, Craig Cathcart and Jonny Evans, with Ben Amos in goal, and we had high hopes of winning the competition, only to get knocked out 2-0.

"I remember going bananas with them afterwards, but that's football for you. Perhaps it did them no harm because they all went on to good careers, either at Old Trafford or, like Shawcross, a fine young man, with another club."

Shawcross, Stoke and Tony Pulis have received some criticism over City's direct style of play since they were promoted to the Premier League in May 2008.

However, Ferguson is an admirer of the Potters.

He said: "Stoke City are one of the most honest teams in the game. They never change their attitude or belief in the way they play, and it has served them well.

"Who would have thought when they came back into the top division that, this season, they would be playing in Europe as well as doing well in the league?

"I am a great admirer of Tony Pulis and what he has achieved, working from limited resources.

"He approaches every game as if it is the most important fixture he has ever faced."