FRIENDS FERDINAND

Rio backs former Red Devils team-mate O’shea for Ireland job but insists it’s no old pals act

RIO FERDINAND says he is waiting for the Manchester United old boys Whatsapp group to light up with news on John O’shea.

The former Red Devils defender lined out alongside O’shea for nine years at Old Trafford and he would love to see his pal get the Ireland job on a permanent basis.

They shared a glittering haul of silverware, including five Premier League titles, a Champions League and a Club World Cup, before O’shea’s move in 2011 to Sunderland.

Ferdinand remained at United for another three years and left for a season with QPR.

But the pair remained connected through a Whatsapp group including some of the top players to line out during Alex Ferguson’s reign.

And that’s where the 81-time capped former England international expects to hear the news first if O’shea is handed the top job by the FAI.

“He hasn’t said anything yet in our Whatsapp group,” Ferdinand told the Mirror Sport.

O’shea is still digesting the eight days he had with the squad, which included a 0-0 draw with Belgium last Saturday and a narrow defeat to Switzerland.

He left the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday night with endorsements from several of his squad, including skipper Seamus Coleman, and defenders Nathan Collins and Dara O’shea.

As well as the players that he led in training and the two friendlies this past week, O’shea would also have the backing of Ferdinand if he landed the job.

“He’s a studious character, he doesn’t do anything without thinking about it,” Ferdinand said, explaining why O’shea stood out in the United dressing room as someone with management potential.

“He’s a sensible, great character to have in the changing room and he’s a great guy.

“He ticks all the right boxes, the only box he probably lacks in is experience as a manager. but he is in the hotseat at the moment and fingers crossed he gets it.”

Ferdinand was in Sligo Rovers’ Showgrounds stadium yesterday to promote the collaboration between his Rio Ferdinand Foundation and the International Fund for Ireland.

He was in Ballina on Tuesday night, where he watched some of Ireland’s defeat to Switzerland, while he also kept tabs on the Belgium game three days earlier.

And he felt O’shea did enough in those outings to prove that he was up for the full-time role.

“I think obviously drawing against Belgium is a big result. England only got a draw against them in the last minute,” he said, referring to Jude Bellingham’s injurytime equaliser in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw.

“It’s important, I think, to see young coaches given the opportunity, given the chance.

“Whether he gets the job, I don’t know. But I think he would be a definite candidate, because he is connected to the younger generation.

“Sheasy has worked with a lot of the young players in that squad before, he has trod the path that they are on right now, he has the experience. If he got the job I wouldn’t be surprised at all and I’d back him to do very well.”

›› The Rio Ferdinand Foundation and the International Fund for Ireland teamed up yesterday (pictured right) to deliver a match day experience hosted at Sligo Rovers. The ‘Beyond the Ball’ matchday brought together young people aged between 16 and 18 from community projects across the border as part of a partnership approach to peacebuilding and cross-community reconciliation funded through the

IFI’S Communities in Partnership Programme (CIPP).

For more into, see www. rioferdinandfoundation. com