Roy Keane named the one player he's happy he never played against and it's not who Man Utd fans would expect

Roy Keane named a surprise player as the one star he is happy he never had to play against in his decorated career.

Keane spent 12 years at Manchester United after signing from Nottingham Forest for a fee of £3.75 million back in 1993, playing 480 times and winning seven Premier League titles in that period.

He shared battles with a number of elite players, notably with the likes of Patrick Vieira, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Zinedine Zidane.

But there is one player who Keane is grateful that he never came up against. The Irishman was known for his no-nonsense approach and enjoying the physical side of the game but he opted for a footballer who could not be further from that, singling out David Silva as someone who made him "glad" to have retired when he did.

A World Cup winner with Spain, Silva joined Manchester City in 2010 and spent a decade with the Blues, winning four league titles, five Carabao Cups and two FA Cups in his tenure.

He also scored 77 goals and registered 146 assists, with Keane describing him as "an absolute little genius".

"I always think of the players over the last 10 or 20 years who have played in the Premiership," Keane said after Silva's final game for City was played behind-closed-doors at the Etihad Stadium in 2020.

“The top players - the Shearers, Henrys, Gerrards, Giggs. He's up there with all those boys. Absolutely fantastic.”

Keane added: “It's just a pity when you think of him today leaving on an empty stadium. You know, the City fans would have loved to give him a good send-off and I'm sure he'd come back and get one.

“Little genius. I look at players who've played over the last 10 years and I always think of when I'm retired about players I would have loved to have played against. But he's one I'm glad I never was around to play against because I know he would've twisted me inside out. An absolute little genius.”

David Silva is one of the best players in the history of the Premier League according to Roy Keane. Image: Getty

Joe Hart baffled by David Silva

Early on there were doubts about whether a player like Silva would be able to cope with the physicality of English football but his sheer ability shone through and he is viewed as one of City's best ever players.

The former Valencia man did not have pace or power and yet he made football look so easy, never giving the ball away and nobody able to get near him.

Joe Hart played with him for a good chunk of his City career and was mystified as to how Silva operated.

“Just an amazing little character, David Silva," he said on Ben Foster's 'Fozcast'.

"Unbelievable footballer. I used to laugh every day…he’s not fast, he’s so one-footed it’s a joke, [he’s] weak but then again, no one can touch him. He didn’t head it, obviously, he was 5’3, he wasn’t particularly strong, about April, he’d start doing bicep curls in the summer.”

“No real power in his left foot either. But wow, what a player as well. And what a guy as well. Really good guy, fun guy.”

Silva finished his career with Real Sociedad back in Liga and was forced into retirement at the age of 38.