O'Shea salutes 'amazing' Sir Alex

John O'Shea praised manager Sir Alex Ferguson for his undiminished hunger and desire – qualities, he said, which the 65-year-old Scot continues to instil in his Manchester United FC players 21 years after arriving at Old Trafford.

'Desire to be best'
Defender O'Shea, who was five years old when Sir Alex first walked through the doors at United on 6 November 1986, told reporters on the eve of the UEFA Champions League game against FC Dynamo Kyiv: "It's an amazing achievement to sustain such a hunger and a desire to be the best, and he's tried to put it through to his players every year and with every squad he has built and every team.

'Stronger and stronger'
"It's got stronger and stronger from what I've witnessed and that's a credit to his achievement and his team's success, and that's what he wants to continue," added the Republic of Ireland international, who will be hoping to make his third Group F appearance of the season when United entertain the Ukrainian champions.

Coaching changes
The longest-serving manager operating in the UEFA Champions League, Sir Alex's remarkable longevity is put into relief by the fact eight clubs of the 32 in the competition had already changed coach by the midway point of the group stage. In the case of United's opponents Dynamo, they have done so twice with Oleh Luzhny taking charge "for an indefinite period" this week after Jozsef Szabó, who had succeeded Anatoliy Demyanenko after Matchday 1, stepped aside because of ill health.

Luck required
"I think the aim of every coach is to achieve the same result as Sir Alex," said former Ukraine defender Luzhny as he looked ahead to his daunting debut at Old Trafford. The Scot himself said of his counterpart that "like every young coach, he's going to need luck". Luzhny and his side could well need some when they take on the in-form Group F leaders on Wednesday night.