At Birmingham City, John O’Shea has reconnected with Wayne Rooney, a former teammate.
The Championship has officially announced Rooney as their new manager, and O’Shea has been added to his coaching team.
The 42-year-old retired from football in 2019, one year after Sunderland released him. Before returning to Wearside after a 12-year stint with Manchester United, O’Shea won two League Cups, the FA Cup, the Champions League, and five Premier League championships.
Alongside Wes Brown, the defender was a mainstay in Sunderland’s defense for seven years before leaving the team after consecutive relegations to the Championship.
O’Shea spent a season playing for Reading before transitioning into coaching with the Royals, where he later worked with Stoke City and the Republic of Ireland U21s. The former player, who was appointed assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland in February 2023, has now won himself a new position with Birmingham City.
After leaving DC United, Wayne Rooney returns to the Championship, where he will meet up with O’Shea and Ashley Cole as well as his former Derby County managers Carl Robinson and Pete Shuttleworth.
The Blues confirmed that O’Shea and Cole, who works with England U21s, will retain their roles with the international teams.
Rooney’s arrival at St Andrew’s comes under heavy criticism, with sacked manager John Eustace having guided them to sixth place in the Championship.
Sunderland will be reunited with O’Shea when they host Birmingham City next month. Though the likes of Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson will be the only familiar faces still at the Stadium of Light.
What are Birmingham City doing?
John O’Shea’s return to the Championship is actually the least surprising part of Birmingham City’s situation, with their decision to get rid of Eustace a huge shock to everyone.
The Blues had scored seven goals in their previous two games before Eustace was fired, and they currently lie one point outside the playoffs.
The Midlands club is taking a major risk by signing Rooney, who will reportedly earn quadruple the usual salary. Sunderland, who appeared poised to compete with the Blues for a spot in the top six at the conclusion of the season, can only benefit from this, though.
