By FRANCO PANIZO
Brek Shea may have had a premature exit at Barnsley, but has insisted he holds no ill will over what transpired at the club.
Shea touched on the topic Wednesday of his Barnsley loan being cut short three weeks before it was scheduled to end due to an incident that he had with one of the Tykes’ fans in the aftermath of a 5-0 loss to Huddersfield Town on March 1. Shea, who is now back at Stoke City, said he no longer has animosity over what transpired at the Championship club and is focusing on his immediate future with the Potters.
“I had an altercation with a gentleman and I think the fans took it that I had a go at the club, but I was only frustrated with one guy,” Shea told StokeSentinel.co.uk. “I’m over that and happy to be back at Stoke. At the time I was upset, but now I’ve left it behind me. I can’t really change what happened.
“The passion of the fans over here is crazy, in a good way, but when things don’t go their way they are upset with their players and that can get out of hand.”
Shea showed flashes in his loan at Barnsley, which was supposed to run until April 3, but he struggled with consistency. The 24-year-old winger made five starts in eight appearances, but did not register a goal or an assist.
Regardless, Shea is now looking to either earn some playing time with Stoke down the stretch of the Premiership campaign or move on loan again in an effort to raise his chances of representing the U.S. Men’s National Team at this summer’s World Cup.
“I’ve had a lot of experiences, whether good or bad, and I’ve got to learn from them,” said Shea. “Hopefully, I can earn a spot in this team. I have to keep my head down, work hard and hope I get my chance. I have to show the gaffer I am good enough to play.”
“I need to be playing for the World Cup. I really want to go because I enjoy playing for my country.”
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What do you think of Shea’s comments? Does he have a realistic chance of earning minutes at Stoke this season? Is a loan his safest bet to help his chances of making the World Cup roster?
Share your thoughts below.