Jolly green giant gets serious

TO DESCRIBE Ireland’s strapping master of versatility as a jolly green giant might be pushing it a bit but John O’Shea is one of those players for whom a broad grin is never too far away.

But just for a moment at the Malahide United training ground, the Waterford man's smile seems to freeze as he is reminded that he has only made one start in five for Manchester United.

"I think I've had more than one in five starts," O'Shea deadpans, "I think it was two in five." The grin returns as the room collapses in laughter.

Even if O'Shea can't quite nail down a place in Alex Ferguson's first eleven, he has reason to be cheerful on the eve of his first outing with Ireland in 2005.

There is the fresh memory of the exquisite finish which guaranteed Manchester United's 4-2 victory over Arsenal at Highbury.

"My initial thought was I might cut back to lay it across to Wayne (Rooney) because I knew he was after making a run, so thankfully it came off. I saw the keeper rushing out and I had a look up and tucked it away.

"After the game in the dressing room was fantastic. And we needed to follow it up with a win against Birmingham, because last year when we beat Arsenal we didn't follow it up with a victory. So it was important because Chelsea had not been dropping many points which is why Sunday was also a pleasing result for us."

The reference, of course, is to Manchester City's scoreless draw with the league leaders, a game in which O'Shea's international colleague Richard Dunne turned in a man of the match performance.

"I shook his hand and said 'well done'," said O'Shea, of meeting up with the centre-half in the Irish camp.

"He was fantastic, but part of a great team performance. That's twice City have done it to Chelsea this season but hopefully Dunney will have an off-day next Sunday."

While City's fighting spirit and the nature of the fixture means United can expect a tough test in the derby, O'Shea says confidence is high at Old Trafford.

"You saw the run we've gone on since we beat Arsenal in October and the whole squad is feeling really confident. We've had a few injuries and other people have had to come in but because of the confidence we feel, everything has continued to flow nicely. We've overtaken Arsenal and the gap is down to nine points, and there's plenty more twists and turns left."

And this week's missing man, Roy Keane, will have a big say in how the title race pans out.

"He keeps himself in such good condition and he's just a great example for the players at the club. People were writing him off years ago and saying other players were taking over, but he's shown in the big games, against players who were supposedly better than him at Liverpool and Arsenal in particular that he could still rise to the occasion."

So Keane is still the number one central midfield enforcer?

"Well, I think so anyway." An extra-large grin. "I'm a bit biased, though."

Returning to the reason why we're all here, O'Shea is reminded he could be facing Cristiano Ronaldo tomorrow night.

"That's going to be very hard. He's a fantastic player and even though they have lots of other talented players, he'll definitely be one to watch. I know how special he is. He can use both feet, he's strong, very fast and then there are his tricks he can embarrass you quite a bit. But I remember Gary Neville playing well against him in Euro 2004, Ashley Cole too, and they showed how you can cope with him. His all round game and awareness have improved this season, which has enabled him to fit better into the United style of play. It was only a matter of time, once he got to know the players and the language too. He's learning to cope with that a lot better."

Does O'Shea see similarities between Ronaldo and Ireland's own Aiden McGeady?

"Ronaldo is that bit more developed, physically in particular. But the skill level is very high with both of those players."

No O'Shea briefing would be complete without the inevitable question about his versatility. So, at the risk of sounding all Kama Sutra, what's been your favourite position this year, John?

"There's a few there," he quips to Brian Kerr, sitting alongside him. "I think my final slot will be up front, I can't get any further than that."

As the laughter subsides, he sums up the state of play. "I put a bit of work in to get rid of a few little injury worries earlier on in the year and my body's feeling a lot stronger, I'm feeling fit and enjoying my football."