John O’Shea reveals that he was very close to joining Celtic

Former Manchester United defender John O’Shea has revealed that he was very close to signing for Celtic prior to his move to the former Premier League champions.

O’Shea is an ambassador for the European Under-17 Championships in May, which takes place in Ireland, and as reported by the Daily Record, the 37-year-old explained that he was about to join Celtic up until the point when he featured in the same youth tournament back in 1998.

He said:

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.

O’Shea, who is still playing for Reading at the age of 37, spent 12 seasons at Old Trafford, collecting five Premier League titles and a Champions League winners medal, as well as the FA Cup and the League Cup, so he hardly regrets his decision to join United!