"Keane And Scholes Were Toughest Opponents When I Was At Arsenal"

Former Arsenal captain, Patrick Vieira, has today confessed that Manchester United midfielders, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, were the best he came across during his nine years in the Premiership.

When asked about his most difficult opponents, Keane and Scholes were the only players he described at length, speaking in full praise of the pair.

“For me, being in England for nine years, I would have said Roy Keane. (He) is really tough, really strong, but he was fair,” said Vieira. “What I like about him is the fact that he would not talk, he would take the kick, he would not say anything, then, on the next one, he would give it to you and he would expect, of course, that you say nothing. He’s not the kind of player who talks a lot. So he’ll take the kick, he will give back, but I like him – he’s quite fair.”

Vieira was also impressed by Scholes, a player he admits he never got the better of.

“One that may surprise you is Scholes – because I never knew how to mark him,” Vieira added. “This guy is really clever – he can play one touch, two touches – so it’s really difficult to get to him at the right time to try to get the ball. I would have said he’s one of the tough players I had to face because by the time you get to him the ball is gone already.”