Former Sunderland and Manchester United defender John O’Shea says he would ‘love’ to lead the club, but is concerned about the club’s recruiting plan.
O’Shea is now the Republic of Ireland’s interim manager, and he might take command of their international matches in June while the hunt for Stephen Kenny’s permanent replacement continues.
Since quitting his post as coach at Birmingham City soon after Tony Mowbray’s arrival, O’Shea has made no secret of his managing aspirations.
O’Shea featured on Sam Allardyce’s No Tippy Tappy Football podcast and was asked whether he was interested in the Wearside post. The 42-year-old said that he would be, but believes the team needs more experience in the squad to challenge for promotion in coming seasons.
O’Shea added, “When you realise I was there for six or seven years. I spent an incredible time there, and it really is a fantastic club. We had a fantastic experience there, and eventually, I would want to be Sunderland’s manager. It’s a hard one; when Tony Mowbray came to Birmingham, I asked him about the methodology they use with young players.
“The thing for me is it’s a great idea on paper,” he said.
“But look at Bayer Leverkusen: the first thing Xabi Alonso stated was that he wanted experience, so he went and grabbed Granit Xhaka. It’s nearly his first idea; he wants a central, general figure to take care of things for me.
You need a combination; having young players in the club and assets to sell on is fantastic, but the competitive aspect of gaining promotion and then remaining in the Premier League… you need a mix.”
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O’Shea is not anticipated to earn the Ireland position permanently, but he does claim he is interested in taking on the post while the search proceeds.
“I was in Dublin yesterday and spoke to some of the press and there’s no update,” he was quoted as saying.
“Hopefully everything is resolved fast because there is a bit of a knock-on impact in terms of our plans for two games. Lee Carsley was high on their list, but he’s clearly pleased with England U21s and what he’s doing there.
We’ll see what happens, of sure [I’d do it forever]. I took the two games, and managing your nation is an incredible honour. I’ve been connected with Ireland for almost 30 years, so we’ll see.”
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