The former Irish footballer, O’Shea, enjoyed a long trophy-laden spell at Manchester United during his career.
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John O’Shea was an important player under Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign, as the duo continued to dominate English football. The former Irish footballer enjoyed a long trophy-laden spell at Manchester United during his career. When O’Shea arrived at Old Trafford, he could not have asked for a better role model to look up to than his own countryman Roy Keane. The former club midfielder, Keane, was at his peak back then, as he captained both the club and country that O’Shea strived to represent in the following years. Prior to his first-team debut that came in the opening months of the 1999/2000 season, O’Shea had several opportunities to train with the senior group and pick the brains of Roy and company week in and week out.
Brushing shoulders with his future teammates on the training ground was a major part of O’Shea’s footballing development in Manchester. However, the versatile defender opened up about an interesting story from his early days with the club, as he explained it in the latest episode of the UTD Podcast. Sitting down with the co-hosts David May, Helen Evans and Sam Homewood, O’Shea informed how the treble-winning midfielder taught him an important lesson during his budding days in the senior side.
“I’ll always remember, one of the first times, I’d just moved house and I’d never left from the house to meet up at a hotel the night before [a game],” he started. “And we had to be at Old Trafford for say about half-six so I’m thinking I’ll leave at six, plenty of time, there’ll be no dramas but obviously it’s Friday evening, there’s a bit more work traffic, a bit more whatever else.
“So, I’m starting to sweat a bit here but I’m thinking, thankfully, the manager [Sir Alex Ferguson] wasn’t going to be there, he was going to meet us at the hotel. So, I’m still barely in the first team, trying to put the foot down but staying in the speed limit of course so I can get there. Next thing, it’s like 6:28, I’m thinking this is getting close here. It’s like 6:30 and I’m pulling in type of thing and the bus is still there, pure relief.”
But then to O’Shea’s disbelief, the bus started to move. “Next thing, I can see the bus moving and I’ve not parked the car yet, I’m nearly in. But then the bus is gone. So, I can see Roy and a few of the senior players and I’m thinking they’ve done me here. So, I’m panicking, thinking will I drive the car back? We were staying in Alderley Edge at the time, so I’m thinking what am I going to do here?” he added.
“Quick little panic and then I thought, right, I’ll leave the car here and get a taxi and I’ll still get to the hotel in time. Roy was teaching me a bit of a lesson there and, to be fair, it was my own fault. I should have known, prepared better, known the distance from the house. The next day, I can’t remember who we were playing but Roy mentioned it to me again and I’m kind of like, ‘oh my god’.
“It was a lesson, my own fault and you hold your hands up kind of thing, but I was more worried about the bus and then the senior lads were like ‘ah, we’ll teach you a lesson, Sheasy’. That’s the way it was, it served me well. Those things, you have to be on top of.”
