MOST players spend their career trying to win a lucrative move to Manchester United. Paul Mc- Shane, on the other hand, couldn't get out of Old Trafford quickly enough.

A failure to break into United's first team meant the 21-year-old was stagnating last August following loan spells at Walsall and Brighton, so when the opportunity to join West Brom presented itself, he grasped it with both hands.

Sixteen months later his refusal to rest on his laurels has been vindicated.

This afternoon, as McShane prepares to face United for the first time, there will be a temptation to think about what might have been.

Instead, the Sunderland centre- half is determined to reflect on how successful things have become.

"It was definitely the right decision,"

said McShane, who has established himself as one of the Black Cats' first-choice centrehalves following a £2.5m move from the Hawthorns. "I felt my time there had come to an end.

"I still had some time left on my contract, but I didn't want to waste away in the reserves as some players in the past had done.

"I decided to cut the rope early and it was definitely the right decision because I've played a lot of games since then.

"When I played against Aston Villa (11 days ago) it was my 100th career game. I wouldn't have got anywhere near that if I had still been at United so I'm happy I made the decision when I did."

Similarly, McShane is delighted to have left West Brom for Sunderland.

"There were a number of offers on the table in the summer, but Wearside was always his preferred destination once the Black Cats' interest was confirmed.

His desire to move to the North-East reflected an ambition to perform in the Premier League but, perhaps understandably, it also stemmed from a burning aspiration to work under Roy Keane.

The Sunderland manager was McShane's hero as he grew up in County Wicklow and, after briefly training alongside Keane at Manchester United, the defender's admiration for his manager has grown during his time in the North-East.

"I think he's a great manager,"

said McShane, who is part of a United old-boy network that also includes Danny Higginbotham, Liam Miller, Dwight Yorke, Kieran Richardson and Andrew Cole.

"He demands the best because he's a perfectionist. He keeps everyone on their toes and doesn't allow you to get into a comfort zone.

"To be honest, I knew exactly what he would be like because I knew him at Manchester United and I knew what he was like as a person.

"I respected him for that because he's a born winner.

"When I was younger, it was always a dream to play with Roy Keane.

"On the green or at home in the schoolyard, you were always talking about Roy Keane. It was brilliant to play with him, and it's brilliant to have him as my manager.

" I'm fortunate to be in the position I'm in."