Man United legend is appointed Republic of Ireland interim head coach for their March friendlies… as Premier League and Champions League winner insists it’s ‘an incredible honour’ to take on the role
- A former Manchester United defender has been appointed interim manager of ROI
- The five-time Premier League winner will be in charge of the matches in March
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A former Premier League and Champions League winner has been appointed Ireland’s interim head coach.
The country has been looking for a new coach since the departure of Stephen Kenny in November last year after failing to qualify for the 2024 European Championship.
They have confirmed that a permanent successor to Kenny will be announced in April, before revealing that a Manchester United legend will take on a temporary role.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Republic of Ireland officially confirmed that John O’Shea had been appointed as interim head coach for their March friendlies.
In a statement, O’Shea said: ‘I am delighted to return to the senior coaching staff as interim head coach for the two international friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland.
Ex-Man United star John O’Shea has been appointed interim head coach of the Republic of Ireland
O’Shea played 394 games at Old Trafford and won five Premier League titles in that time
βIt will be an incredible honor to lead the team into the March international window.
‘As everyone knows, I have always taken immense pride in representing my country, whether that was during my playing career or very recently, as part of the coaching staff for the senior men’s team and the Under-21s.
βIt’s great that Paddy has agreed to come on board for the two games and the work will begin immediately in preparation for two top quality games against great opposition in Belgium and Switzerland, with our fantastic home support.
βI have great confidence that this group of players will win football matches and I look forward to some positive results.β
O’Shea had previously been part of Stephen Kenny’s coaching staff before leaving at the end of 2023.
In February last year, O’Shea, who has 118 caps for Ireland, was appointed first-team assistant coach after almost three years with the Under-21s.
O’Shea had been part of Stephen Kenny’s coaching staff before his departure in November 2023
He also has coaching experience in domestic football with Reading, Stoke City and Birmingham City, where he was coach of Wayne Rooney’s first team.
O’Shea, who made 394 appearances at Old Trafford, was an integral part of the successful United side that won a number of trophies, including five Premier League titles, two League Cups, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
O’Shea retired from playing for Reading in 2019 after a long spell at Sunderland following his time at Old Trafford.
