John O'Shea has recalled how he once missed Manchester United’s team coach after Roy Keane taught him a brutal “lesson” about turning up late.
The 40-year-old Irishman revealed that the incident occurred in the 1999-00 season after he signed his first professional contract with United.
Legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson provided O'Shea with the opportunity to travel and train with the first-team squad, despite remaining on the fringe of his side.
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O'Shea, who came through the United youth academy, admitted that he was in “pure relief” when he saw the team bus after not pre-empting the traffic on a Friday evening.
Speaking on the UTD Podcast, the former United defender said: “I’ll always remember, one of the first times, I’d just moved house and I’d never left from the house to meet up at a hotel the night before [a game].
“And we had to be at Old Trafford for say about half-six so I’m thinking I’ll leave at six, plenty of time, there’ll be no dramas.
“But obviously it’s Friday evening, there’s a bit more work traffic, a bit more whatever else.
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“So, I’m starting to sweat a bit here but I’m thinking, thankfully, the manager [Sir Alex Ferguson] wasn’t going to be there, he was going to meet us at the hotel.
“So, I’m still barely in the first team, trying to put the foot down but staying in the speed limit, of course, so I can get there.
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“Next thing, it’s like 6:28, I’m thinking this is getting close here. It’s like 6:30 and I’m pulling in type of thing and the bus is still there, pure relief.”
O'Shea, unfortunately, went from “pure relief” to “panicking” when he saw the team coach leave without him.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21s assistant coach later found out that club and international teammate Keane was “teaching me a bit of a lesson.”
O'Shea added: “Next thing, I can see the bus moving and I’ve not parked the car yet, I’m nearly in. But then the bus is gone.
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“So, I can see Roy and a few of the senior players and I’m thinking they’ve done me here.
“So, I’m panicking, thinking will I drive the car back? We were staying in Alderley Edge at the time, so I’m thinking what am I going to do here?
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“Quick little panic and then I thought, right, I’ll leave the car here and get a taxi and I’ll still get to the hotel in time.
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“Roy was teaching me a bit of a lesson there and, to be fair, it was my own fault. I should have known, prepared better, known the distance from the house.
“The next day, I can’t remember who we were playing but Roy mentioned it to me again and I’m kind of like, ‘oh my god.’
“It was a lesson, my own fault and you hold your hands up kind of thing, but I was more worried about the bus and then the senior lads were like, 'Ah, we’ll teach you a lesson, Sheasy.'
“That’s the way it was, it served me well. Those things, you have to be on top of.”
O'Shea made 394 appearances for United and lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League, an FA Cup and two League Cups under Ferguson’s reign.
The former Republic of Ireland international left United in 2011 and went on to play for Sunderland and Reading before retiring from football in 2019.
O'Shea was later appointed a first-team coach at Reading, which he left back in July, and has since become the assistant coach for the Republic of Ireland U21s.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Roy Keane, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Football