Mary Hannigan met Waterford's famous football export as he played the star turn at a company gig

Do you feel like you're a member of Westlife? John O'Shea looks out the window at the lengthy queue of teenage girls (and boys), laughs, and says, "No".

Sure? This time the smile says "hmm . . . a bit", but when you're attempting to establish yourself as a fearless, fearsome centre-half in English football, it's best not to admit to having much in common with a cute creation that rolled off the Louis Walsh conveyor belt.

Such is life these days, though, for the Waterford native, the first Republic of Ireland player to come through Manchester United's youth ranks and break into the first team since . . . since?

"Johnny Giles."

He smiles again. Politely. One suspects it is not the first time the startling statistic has been put to him.

"I'm proud of it, though," he says, "really proud."

O'Shea has turned up for promotional duty with three of his United team-mates - Rio Ferdinand, Diego Forlan and Wes Brown - at the opening of the new branch of Champion Sports in the Jervis Street shopping centre in Dublin, where one or two items from the club's bewilderingly large merchandise range are available for purchase.

These are the kind of duties you're landed with when you break into the first team; a bit different to life in the youth team or the reserves?

"Yeah, very different," says O'Shea. "It was very quiet then, but this is what I always wanted, to be part of it all. You just have to learn to cope with it.

"Things are going well at the minute. I feel I'm beginning to establish myself now, and I'm enjoying every minute of it. It's a great buzz to come back home, too, the fan base in Ireland is crazy so it's good to come back and show the people that we're interested."

At the "press conference" Ferdinand is asked what he thinks of O'Shea. "He's tall, inne," he smiles. Privately, he's more effusive.

"I've played with a few different players at international and club level and he's definitely one of the best I've come across, both in terms of potential and the ability he already has. He's justified his place in the team when he's played and he's never let anyone down. He's got a good, long future ahead of him."

Does the £30 million man pass on advice to the Irish rookie?

"Na, that's not really me. I'm still young and learning the game, I'm not the type of person to rant and rave and tell him what to do and what not to do. Sheasie is his own person and he's going to become a player in his own right - if he ever needs advice I'm sure he's man enough to ask. The way I did it when I was younger, and the way I still do it now, is not to ask loads and loads of questions, I just watch and learn. Sheasie is the same."

Your name is? "Jack Thompson." Age? He hesitates. Has a think, and remembers. "Eight," he declares.

Get any autographs? "Yeah," he says, proudly whipping out his autograph book.

Who? "Forlan. Wes Brown. Rio. And John O'Shea. Twice."

You got two O'Shea autographs? "Yeah," he says, "he's a good player."

Worth the queuing, then. So good he went back twice.