O’Shea Out For Season

Manchester United’s defensive options suffered another blow yesterday with the news that John O’Shea will miss the rest of the season.

The versatile Irish defender has proved to be a key figure for United in recent seasons, with his ability to play anywhere across the back four and in the centre of midfield invaluable as United went in search of silverware.

However, a series of injuries this year have meant that he has found it difficult to cement his place in the starting eleven.

Now Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that a blood clot means that his season is more than likely over.

“He’s got a terrible injury at the moment,” Ferguson said. “It’s one of those sorts of injuries that are unusual. It’s like a dead leg except a dead leg is usually only three or four days.

“The problem is that the blood clot became all knotted and when it gets knotted you get calcification so therefore it’s a long process to clear that up and he’ll probably miss the season now.

“It’s a bad blow for the boy and for the team because he can play anywhere. When you look at all the problems I’ve had with the back four this season, he could have played every single one.”

This is just another in a long series of injuries, particularly in defence, that have blighted United’s season.

Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Edwin Van Der Sar and Owen Hargreaves have all missed large parts of the season through injury.

Although Van Der Sar is now back in the starting eleven and reports suggest that Vidic and Ferdinand could soon follow, it seems as though United will have to make do without O’Shea’s versatility for the rest of the season.

How do you think this latest injury will affect United? Is it just another sign that Sir Alex must act to find defensive cover in the transfer window or will the return of Ferdinand and Vidic sure up the defence?

By Harry Veal