The 22-year-old defender has won plaudits from new Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni in the last week for his performances in the two training games his side played during their trip to Portugal.

However, McShane will head back to Sunderland for the start of pre-season training knowing he will have to prove himself to club manager Roy Keane all over again.

McShane, a £2.5million signing from West Bromwich Albion in July last year, began the season in good form despite playing out of position at right-back as his club got off to a promising start.

However, as things started to turn for the Black Cats, he found himself under pressure.

learning curve 

Sunderland eventually made sure of their top-flight status with two matches to spare, but as the players headed off at the end of the campaign, the talk in the city was of which of them might not return and who would be recruited in their place.

But for McShane, the trials and tribulations of a difficult campaign have simply served as a motivation to improve himself as a player and force his way back into the picture.

He said: "It is probably the hardest period I have gone through in my career so far. It has been a steep learning curve over the last three months or so to see how the game works. I have also had the chance to just sit back and look at our team and look at other teams play.

"I have become stronger from it. It's not a nice thing to do, but that's the way it was. It started very well and I was really enjoying it. Then I found myself out of the team in January and I didn't really get back into it.

"That's football for you, it happens. I did everything to get myself back in, but it didn't happen. But chin up, we go again next season."