John O’Shea reveals he was set for Celtic move before Manchester United came calling

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John O’Shea has revealed that he was set to sign for Celtic as a teenager until Manchester United spotted him at the Under-17 European Championship.

John O'Shea

The centre-back, now at Reading, won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during 12 years at Old Trafford.

However, the 118-time Republic of Ireland international has revealed ahead of May’s Under-17 Euros in his home country that the competition had a huge impact on the direction his playing career went.

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Alasdair Mackenzie

Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.