O´Shea: United face tough trip

Sunderland defender John O’Shea has warned former club Manchester United they face a difficult task in their final league game for the season.

United journey to the Stadium of Light on Sunday needing a win to give themselves the best chance of stopping leaders Manchester City from claiming their first league title in 44 years.

O’Shea told The Guardian that he was surprised United have not claimed the Premier League trophy already, having held an eight point advantage over their rivals in recent weeks.

“You would have expected, with all their experience, they would have managed to keep that advantage so close to the end of the season,” he said.

“Believe me, the two times City have played against us this season, they knew it wasn’t an easy game. We’ve taken four points off them, and it should have been six if we think about the game at their place (a 3-3 draw in which Sunderland led 3-1).”

O’Shea also praised the managerial expertise of his new boss Martin O’Neill, who propelled them into mid-table with a number of outstanding wins.

“I’d heard from other players who had worked with him how passionate he was and how motivational he could be, but you also quickly learn how intelligent he is too,” O’Shea said.

“All these things are rolled into one. There’s an intelligence behind what he does and a psychology behind it, what he says to players at certain times. He’s just got this special knack of knowing how to get the best out of players.”

Despite Sunderland having little but pride to play for, O’Shea said his side will continue to play their best against United on Sunday.

“First and foremost, you want to do well for yourself and your own team, it could be a huge game for United, depending on how City do, but we want to finish with a win for our fans and we want to try to get in the top 10,” he said.