Robert Pires has revealed that Gary Neville used to make his life a misery when his club, Arsenal, played Manchester United.

The two played against each other a couple of years ago, when United were in the same group as Villarreal in 2008.

Pires will come to Old Trafford again tonight, but this time as a Aston Villa player, and this time without Neville marking him.

“I’d love to play against him again,” said Pires. “They were big games with a lot of intensity between Arsenal and Man United. Every time I came up against him, he made my life a misery. There were a lot of insults – he liked to tread on my feet at corners or free-kicks. It was always just about provocation and there were some games when I fell into his trap. I thought more about having a row with him than playing football.”




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