'Reaped the rewards' - Why Chelsea and England man made right decision picking Doncaster Rovers
Ted Sharman-Lowe made the correct call in choosing to spend this season at Doncaster Rovers, according to manager Grant McCann.
The Rovers chief was speaking days after the Chelsea loanee made his England under-21s bow, against Portugal earlier this week. Sharman-Lowe has been an ever-present for Rovers this term, with nine clean sheets as they chase down automatic promotion. That form was rewarded with a call-up to Lee Carsley's Young Lions squad and after sitting on the bench for a friendly defeat to France last Friday, he played the second half of Monday's win over the Portuguese at the Hawthorns.
"We're delighted for Ted. He deserved it," McCann reflected. "He's a young player and this is his first loan where he's been playing (regularly). For him to make his England under-21s debut is great for him but also a reflection of the work Kyle Letheren (goalkeeping coach) has put into him as well.
"I'm delighted for Ted and I'm sure his family were proud watching him. When we spoke about goalkeepers in the summer, Ted's name was the first one that Kyle mentioned to us. It wasn't easy to get him because there was quite a few clubs interested in him. We also wondered whether he'd drop into League Two but I think he made a really good decision because he's played every game for us. Would he have done that in League One? I don't know.
"But we've given him the chance and the time and he's reaped the rewards from it. He's got recognition from England and we just want him to continue for the rest of the season, hopefully keep some clean sheets for us and help us to where we want to be."
Rovers host Carlisle on Saturday, in their first outing in a fortnight.