Former Manchester United defender John O'Shea to make final Republic of Ireland appearance against USA

Republic of Ireland defender John O’Shea will retire from international football after the 2 June friendly against the United States, the 37-year-old has said. [caption id=“attachment_4465509” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of John O’Shea. Reuters[/caption] O’Shea, who plays for English third-tier side Sunderland, made his Ireland debut in 2001 and has since gone on to become one of six senior players to earn 100 caps for the nation, winning 117 caps over an illustrious 17-year career. “I have certainly cherished my international career, it will be emotional walking out for the final time in front of the Ireland supporters,” O’Shea said in an open letter to fans on the Football Association of Ireland’s (FAI) website www.fai.ie. “But it is now time to say thank you and allow others to lead the team forward, it’s been an amazing honour to wear our green shirt.” O’Shea, who played 389 matches for Manchester United before joining Sunderland in 2011, also offered a message of support to former manager Alex Ferguson, who underwent emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage last weekend. Sunderland were relegated to the third-tier League One after finishing bottom of the Championship this campaign.