Former Republic of Ireland stalwart John O'Shea is set to be added to Michael O'Neill's coaching staff at Stoke City, according to the Stoke Sentinel.

The Potters currently have a coaching staff that consists of ex-Bristol City head coach Dean Holden as O'Neill's assistant, former Premier League midfielder Rory Delay as a first-team coach, whilst David Rouse heads up the goalkeeping department.

They are all poised to be joined by O'Shea, who spent the majority of his playing career at Manchester United, where he won five Premier League titles and also the UEFA Champions League in 2008.

As a coach, O'Shea spent two years at Stoke's Championship rivals Reading between 2019 and 2021, being brought into the fold by then-manager Jose Gomes, before departing last summer.

Since 2020, O'Shea has also been the assistant boss of the Republic of Ireland under-21's side, but he will now return to club coaching with Stoke, where he will replace Mark Burton, who departed last week to explore a new opportunity.

The Verdict

O'Shea is racking up the coaching experience before potentially giving actual management a crack down the line, and he's a good pick-up for the Potters.

He has a wealth of experience playing top-level football, both domestically and across the globe, and his know-how could rub off well on Stoke's young players.

It means that when it comes to defence-minded coaches, Stoke are well-stocked now with both O'Shea and Holden being former defenders.

Despite only being an imminent member of the backroom staff, O'Shea could be one of the more shrewd additions to the Stoke collective this summer.