Roy Keane has named his five toughest opponents with only one playing outside of England

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has named the five toughest opponents he faced across his professional career.

Keane, 52, enjoyed spells at Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Celtic before ultimately calling an end to his playing days in 2006.

Across his illustrious career, which saw him secure one Champions League title, seven Premier League winners medals and four FA Cups, Keane faced a number of top opponents across world football.

Despite testing the waters in management with stints at Sunderland and Ipswich Town, Keane now operates as a pundit covering Premier League football each weekend. Which has since given him an opportunity to recall some of the toughest opponents he faced throughout his career, where he has narrowed it down to the five toughest players he encountered.

Keane told Sky Sports: “It was a big challenge for me when Patrick [Vieira] came onto the scene.

“He was a good player and I knew I had to be at my best when I was up against him. He was nasty, he could put his foot in and he could score a goal.

“Patrick would’ve been my toughest opponent at the time. He would challenge you in different ways. He would get around the pitch, he was good with the ball, he was strong, and he had a goal in him. I knew I had to be at my very, very best to get on top of Patrick.

“He wasn’t the only one though. Back in those days, every week in the Premiership you were in for a battle: David Batty was tough; Gary Speed, God rest his soul, he was tough; Rob Lee up at Newcastle – you knew you were in a game against these fellas.”

Roy Keane (left) and Patrick Vieira (right)

Keane went on to talk about opponents he faced across Europe, where he added: “The greatest I faced in Europe? Undoubtedly [Zinedine] Zidane. He had everything – but he was nasty with it too. Batty, Speed, they were nasty too, they’d give you a kick, a real battle; I just gave back as good as I got!

“But there was a respect towards Patrick. It was the same with the lads coming through.

"I go back to Steven Gerrard and the Frank Lampard. You had to be at your best. I had huge respect for him, but I knew if I could win my battle it would give us a better chance of winning the game.”