Arsenal legend Ray Parlour has claimed he'd need "three ice-packs on his leg" after facing Roy Keane and his all-conquering Manchester United side.
Speaking to NetBet Sports Betting, Parlour praised the Corkman's spirit and attitude and declared Keane 'one of his toughest ever opponents'. Parlour and Keane were members of the Arsenal and Manchester United sides that dominated English Football in the late 1990's and early 2000's winning ten Premier League titles between them.
Parlour said: "Roy Keane was a competitor, it was as simple as that. He was a winner, Roy was one of the all-time Manchester United legends, he was such a fantastic player.
READ MORE: Another warm-up game for Ireland's World Cup-bound stars announced
"Whenever you saw him lining up against you, you always knew you were in for a game. After you came up against him and that United team, more often than not, you’d have three ice packs on your leg – one on your ankle, one on your knee and one somewhere else where you had been kicked!"
Parlour also praised Keane's skills as captain and his ability to control the players around him.
The former Arsenal star added: "He was so important for United, he was the captain and he bossed the midfield around – he would keep Ryan Giggs and David Beckham in the game and get them back into place to defend, with Paul Scholes alongside him. He always wanted to win every single game he was in and come out on top. He knew that if you won the midfield battle, you won the game.
“That was the beauty of that era. You could get away with a few dodgy tackles and I’m sure lots of supporters would look back and say they loved that time."
Keane often battled it out with Parlour's teammate Patrick Vieira and the two captains trials and tribulations became box-office viewing for fans. Parlour believes it was their presence on the pitch that was the dominant factor in their performances.
He stated: "It was more his presence that was his great strength, Patrick Vieira had it too. You could see the battles they had. Sometimes it would overboil, maybe we saw that with the Ruud van Nistelrooy situation. But you go and try and win the game - if you lose it you shake hands after.
“Roy was one of those guys who was so focused, you could see that in the tunnel. And Roy loved a tackle - you saw that with the Alfie Haaland challenge against Manchester City, where he probably had a little red book with his name in it. He probably thought, I’ll do him one day! There are certain players who do that.”
Parlour came up against a number of Irish football legends during his time as a player and also praised Denis Irwin, Niall Quinn and David O'Leary.
He added: "Denis Irwin was a fantastic full-back, and probably Manchester United’s most consistent player at the time. He was always a seven or an eight out of ten every week. He never dropped below that, which was so impressive.
"David O’Leary was playing when I made my Arsenal debut,” Parlour said. “David was a great professional. To get the appearance record at Arsenal for making 722 appearances was a great achievement. He still goes to the Arsenal games now, I’ll always bump into him. He was a top manager too.
"Niall Quinn was a big lad, but a great player and he actually left before I got into the Arsenal team. I was with him when I was an apprentice and I’ll always remember that he loved his food, the guy could eat!
"He also loves a pint of Guinness! He could knock them back and I’ve been to a few events in Ireland and Niall was always there, he could party all day. And come the next morning, it’s like he hasn’t even been out! All the Irish boys were always great fun. You could have a good night out with them.”
READ NEXT:
- Jarlath Burns elected new President of the GAA
- Christian Atsu dies aged 31 after Turkey earthquake
- Johnny Sexton hailed as class act following Late Late Show appearance
- Tiger Woods apologises for 'crass' tampon joke
- Ireland legend Jack McGrath retires through injury
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
