Vieira: Roy Keane Is The Best I've Faced

Beleaguered Sunderland manager Roy Keane has been given a confidence boost from one of his fiercest on-field rivals, Patrick Vieira.

The former Manchester United midfielder held some epic turf-wars with the ex-Arsenal captain throughout the pair's time in opposition to each other in the Premier League.

As Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger vied for dominance on the sidelines, their battles were taken onto the field by their respective captains.

Keane and Vieria, who often snarled face-to-face during matches, have held long standing respectful opinions of one another, and Vieira has once again aired his views on the under-fire Black Cats' boss.

Vieira was in conversation with Steffen Effenberg for a Ford TV Spot, when he said:

“What I like about Keane 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 continued to hand out the plaudits to his former Manchester United title rivals, when he admitted that Paul Scholes was one of the best midfielders he has ever faced.

He disclosed: "I never knew how to mark him.

"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."

Peter Staunton, Goal.com