The legendary Irishman reveals that he almost joined Celtic.
John O’Shea has revealed to The Daily Record that he very nearly joined Celtic once upon a time.
The 37-year-old is in the twilight of an illustrious playing career which began at Manchester United, where he won five Premier League titles and a Champions League in 2008.
But had things been different, his journey might’ve started at Celtic instead.
O’Shea, now with Reading, joined the Red Devils after winning the UEFA European Under-17 Championship with the Republic of Ireland in 1998.
But the veteran centre-back said that he had an offer to go to Parkhead – and almost took them up on it.
He told The Record: “Ireland won the European Under 17s title in 1998 and personally, I definitely took a lot from it.
“The countries we were playing against, with their rich pedigree and the fact that we could compete and win it.
“I was just about to sign for Celtic until United were able to watch me in those games. It was a contributing factor in turning my career in that direction so I have a lot to thank it for.”
Considering he was deemed good enough for Sir Alex Ferguson’s United side for 12 years, he probably would have ended up in the Premier League had he signed for Celtic anyway.
The Irishman made his debut for the club as a 17-year-old in 1999, during a League Cup clash with Aston Villa.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
