O’Shea out to impress Trap in busy season’s end

END of season international friendlies haven’t always captured the imagination of the Irish players but John O’Shea reckons that this May will prove very different, as Giovanni Trapattoni takes charge for the first time and puts his squad through the rigours of a training camp and back-to-back matches against Serbia and Colombia.

“We’re looking forward to meeting up for the games at the end of the season, because then it’s the summer break, pre-season and the next thing you know we’ve got World Cup qualifiers,” says the Manchester United man. “So it will be a vitally important time for us to get to know the new coaching team and for them to get to know us. Most of the lads feel the same — they can’t wait to get in and see what the whole set-up is about, what ideas he wants to get across and how he wants us to play. It’s like when a new manager comes to a club, there’s excitement but also the sense that you have to prove yourself again. And that can only be good.”

O’Shea has no doubt the FAI have come up with a winning combination in the new management team.