Recently, former Manchester United defender O'Shea unveiled the mystery of Manchester United's efforts to invite Crow to join the team in 2003 in an exclusive interview with Goal.
O'Shea recalls that in 2003, United were invited to play a warm-up match against Sporting Lisbon at the newly-opened Estadio José Alvarad stadium and lost 1-3. But it was Crowe's presence that was the center of attention in that match, and his outstanding performance quickly attracted United's favor. Just six days later, United took the Portuguese starlet on for a fee of £12.2 million.
O'Shea revealed that Crowe was already the subject of competition from a number of top clubs, with Arsenal on the verge of signing him at one point. Wenger and Arsenal's desire for Crowe was obvious and they almost saw the deal as a done deal," O'Shea said. But after witnessing Crowe's stunning performances in the friendlies, everything fell into place and the deal was quickly finalized."
O'Shea praised Crowe's consistency, exclaiming, "In the two years or so that he has been away from Sporting Lisbon, his consistency has been evident. He's shown a consistency that many players struggle to match and it's a joy to play alongside him."
O'Shea also recalled the frenzied reaction of the United players to Crowley: "I'll never forget that game. Usually the players are a bit frustrated about not starting, but this was an exception. It wasn't because Crowley was poor, but we had just flown back from the States and were exhausted. However, when he appeared on the pitch, we immediately realized that it was him."
O'Shea also commented on Crowe's performance in the match in a humorous tone: "I believe that Crowe's tight defense on me during the match was a testament to me. Even the manager probably secretly thought: 'He's so focused on O'Shea, we need to sign him in a hurry.' And, of course, I thought to myself that I played quite well in the game."
