Sharpe will be making his fourth appearance in an England Legends jersey. The 37-year old former United midfielder, who has already scored twice for The England Legends, earned a Cup Winners' Cup medal at Old Trafford before moving on to Leeds for £4.5m in 1996. He has played for the England national team on eight occasions.
England Legends Manager Peter Reid confirmed: "Sharpey is an important member of the England Legends and gives us real mobility on that left hand side. He came out of the Germany game with real credit, grabbing the only England goal; I know he's desperate to get England back to winning ways against the Republic of Ireland."
42-year old Dennis Irwin made 56 appearances for his country, including two USA '94 starts, as well as 368 appearances for Manchester United where he won the Champions League trophy, Cup Winners Cups, seven Premiership titles, three FA Cups and one League Cup. Irwin also played for Leeds United, Oldham and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Legends: England v Republic of Ireland is the third game in The 2008 Legends Series. The England Legends beat their Scottish counterparts 2-0 at St. Mary's Stadium Southampton on Thursday May 15th before losing 5-1 to Germany at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane.
The England Legends have previously drawn 3-3 and lost 5-1 to The Italy Legends and beaten The Rest of the World Legends 4-2. The Legends: England v Republic of Ireland will compete for The Johnny Haynes Memorial Cup in a game which will be screened live on ITV4 from 7pm. The England and Ireland line-ups will be announced over the course of September and October at www.legendsfootball.tv and www.itv.com/thelegends Tickets for The Legends: England v Ireland are £14 for adults (over 16) and £8 for OAPs/Students, plus booking fee and available from Fulham Football Club's Box Office on 0870 442 1234. Transmission for The Legends: England v Ireland will begin at 7pm. All Legends football game operate a 'Kid-A-Quid' scheme; all children under 16 will gain entry to The Legends for just £1.
All press enquiries, print ready artwork, ticket competition enquiries and interview requests can be sent to:
Paul Reaney
The Legends: England v Ireland
Craven Cottage, Fulham
Thursday October 9th 2008, KO 7.45pm
0845 370 1966
07912 477 993