O'Shea to stay and fight for place

Manchester United defender John O'Shea is determined to fight for his place at Old Trafford after playing his part in this season's double triumph.

The 27-year-old Republic of Ireland international added a Champions League winners' medal to his third Premier League success in Moscow last Wednesday.

O'Shea was one of the 18 men who were in the matchday squad for the dramatic showdown with Chelsea, but although he came within seconds of being introduced as a late substitute, he did not make it on to the pitch.

However, he knows the quality within Alex Ferguson's squad as well as anyone, and while he is desperate to win regular place in the starting line-up - around half of his appearances this season came from the bench - he is not looking for a new challenge just yet.

O'Shea said: "You just have to get on with it. The club has so many players and in the build-up to the final, he [Ferguson] had every player fit.

"He said it was funny how this happens and said he wished that we could play European Cup finals every week!

"It's a hell of a squad when everybody is fit. That's what he wants and that's what he felt let us down in years gone by when he had to keep picking the same players towards the latter stages.

"Tiredness played its part in major games, but there was a freshness there this year, and you can see the rewards there now with two major trophies."

Asked about his own future, he replied: "That [leaving] is crossing my mind a lot of the time, but then I think 'where do you go when you leave a team like that?'

"That's an even bigger question. For the time being, I will stay where I am."