Paul McShane

Paul David McShane (born 6 January 1986) is an Irish professional football coach and former player.

Upon retirement in 2022 he was named the Professional Development Phase coach at Premier League side Manchester United.

In the summer of 2002, he signed for Manchester United.

Born in Wicklow, Ireland, McShane moved to England when he was 16 to play for Manchester United, with whom he won the 2003 FA Youth Cup.

He played for Manchester United in the final of the 2003 FA Youth Cup in which they defeated Middlesbrough 3–1.

He played in pre-season friendly matches and was given the squad number 34, but did not make a full debut for Manchester United.

In December 2004, he was loaned to Walsall, where he played four league matches and scored once against Sheffield Wednesday.

In August 2005, he moved to Brighton & Hove Albion on an initial five-month loan deal.

The loan was later extended for the whole of the 2005–06 season.

McShane was voted Player of the Season by the supporters, as well as the away supporters' Player of the Season.

He had loan stints with Walsall and Brighton & Hove Albion before making a permanent move to West Bromwich Albion in 2006.

He made six appearances for the under-21s before making his debut for the senior team in 2006.

On 10 August 2006, McShane and fellow 2003 FA Youth Cup winner Luke Steele moved to West Bromwich Albion on a permanent basis in a deal that saw Tomasz Kuszczak join United on a season-long loan with a permanent deal confirmed for the following summer.

He made his debut for West Brom in a 3–0 win over Leyton Orient in the League Cup on 24 August 2006.

His goal against Leeds United in the FA Cup on 6 January 2007 sent Albion on their way to a 3–1 victory.

It was the first of three goals he scored in 42 appearances for the club.

On 26 July 2007, McShane joined Sunderland for an initial £1.5 million fee.

McShane's first match for the Black Cats ended in success – his performance helping Sunderland to a clean sheet and a 1–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

He joined Sunderland a year later, but spent the 2008–09 season on loan to Hull City before making a permanent move there in 2009.

On 29 August 2008, Sunderland accepted a loan offer for McShane from Hull City, who were newly promoted to the Premier League.

While playing for Hull, he scored the opening goal at Anfield in a league match versus Liverpool on 13 December 2008.

His last match during his loan spell for Hull was an FA Cup victory over Newcastle United on 14 January 2009, as he was recalled to Sunderland by manager Ricky Sbragia.

On 30 August 2009, McShane rejoined Hull on a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee.

On 16 February 2011, he joined Barnsley on a two-month loan, but Hull were given the option to recall him after 28 days.

He scored his first goal for Barnsley in a 4–2 win over Bristol City on 9 April 2011.

He was named in the Ireland squad for UEFA Euro 2012, but did not make an appearance at the tournament.

On 13 January 2012, McShane joined Crystal Palace on a one-month loan.

McShane's loan at Palace was extended until the end of the 2011–12 season on 31 January 2012.

The 2012–13 season started more positively for McShane than his previous few seasons at Hull as he enjoyed regular appearances under new manager Steve Bruce, often being deployed as part of Hull's new system of a three-man defence.

He scored his first goal in over four years on 1 December 2012, shouldering the ball home to help Hull to a 2–1 victory at Nottingham Forest.

More solid performances at the heart of the Tigers' defence followed for McShane in 27 appearances that season, until he was ruled out for the rest of the campaign with ankle ligament damage suffered in a match, again against Nottingham Forest.

With his contract running out at the end of the season, this injury put McShane's long-term future at the club in doubt.

However, McShane returned to the team unexpectedly before the end of the season.

On 4 May 2013, McShane started on the final day of the season in a match against Cardiff City, a match which the Tigers had to win to guarantee promotion to the Premier League.

He spent six years with Hull, broken up by loan spells with Barnsley and Crystal Palace, before joining Reading in 2015.

After four years with Reading, he moved to Rochdale but was released following the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2021, when he made a return to Manchester United as a player-coach for the club's under-23s team.

He retired from playing at the end of the season, when he took up a youth coaching role full-time.

McShane represented the Republic of Ireland at every level from Under-15s upwards.

He earned his 33rd and final cap in March 2016, although he was named as a standby player for UEFA Euro 2016.

Born in Wicklow, County Wicklow, McShane started his career with Greystones United, as well as playing for Newtown Juniors and his secondary school, St. David's. He later joined St Joseph's Boys, a club based in south Dublin.