A highly versatile defender who is generally used by the Republic of Ireland at right-back, John O'Shea has appeared in five qualifying competitions and will be relishing his first major finals. He accumulated vast international experience at Manchester United FC, appearing in ten consecutive UEFA Champions League campaigns.

• Born in Waterford, Ireland, he was spotted by United's scouting network and signed professional forms aged 17, making his debut in 1999.

• Often used as a stand-in or a substitute, he nevertheless featured in over two thirds of United's Premier League matches in every season from 2002/03-2010/11, winning the title in five of those campaigns.

• Appeared for only 398 minutes of United's 2007/08 UEFA Champions League triumph and was an unused substitute in the final against Chelsea FC.

• Clocked up 1,080 minutes of action the following season – more than any of his team-mates − as United again reached the final, in which he was a starter at right-back versus FC Barcelona; also scored the only goal of the semi-final first leg at home to Arsenal FC.

• A full international since 2001, he reached his half-century of caps for the Republic of Ireland during 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, in which he was an ever-present, starting 11 games and appearing as a first-half substitute in the other.

• Ended a 13-year association with United by joining Sunderland in July 2011 with team-mate Wes Brown.

UEFA honours
UEFA Champions League: winner 2008, runner-up 2009
UEFA European Under-16 Championship: winner 1998