Roy Keane and Gary Neville saw eye to eye on the impact of one Manchester United legend and Jamie Carragher called him the most “influential player” at the time.
Gary Neville and Roy Keane shared the pitch together at Old Trafford and the pair enjoyed incredible success at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Keane excelled as captain at United and lifted seven Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy and four FA Cups during his time at Old Trafford.
A commanding box-to-box midfielder in his prime, the 53-year-old no-nonsense Irishman captained United to a famous treble win in the 1998-99 season.
Neville spent his entire playing career at Old Trafford and succeeded Keane as club captain in 2005 after the Irish hardman was axed from the Red Devils.
One of the famed ‘Class of ‘92’ members, the 49-year-old lifted eight Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, three FA Cups and three League Cups.
Keane and Neville on Man Utd legend
Speaking on the Stick to Football show, Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Ian Wright, Jill Scott and Jamie Carragher took part in a Premier League eras segment.
The Overlap panel were asked to pick the best player from each decade in the Premier League, with the quartet kicking things off with the 1990s.
Jamie Carragher made his feelings clear that Eric Cantona would be his pick, while Jill Scott selected fellow Stick to Football panellist Keane as her choice.
“Most influential player I would say Eric Cantona,” Carragher said.
Keane went for former Manchester United teammate Cantona before Ian Wright snubbed the Frenchman for Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp.
“I would go with Cantona as well. I’d go Eric,” Keane said.
Wright added: “I’d probably… you see Eric, but I have to mention Bergkamp for us.”
Neville, much like Keane and Carragher, felt the same way about Cantona and the legendary former United No 7 came out on top in the five-person vote.
“I’m gonna go Cantona. Definitely for that era,” he said.
“Okay, Cantona wins that 3 vs 1.”
Cantona’s legacy at Man Utd
Sir Alex Ferguson snapped up Eric Cantona from Leeds United in 1992 for a £1m fee and the 58-year-old former forward had a transformative impact at Old Trafford.
Cantona lifted four Premier League titles and two FA Cups with the Red Devils before his sudden retirement at the age of 30 in 1997.
Ferguson widely revered Cantona during his spell at United and the former Red Devils boss claimed that he was one of four world-class players he managed.
“I don’t mean to demean or criticise any of the great or very good footballers who played for me during my 26-year career at United, but there were only four who were world class: Cantona, [Ryan] Giggs, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Paul] Scholes,” he said in 2015.
“And of the four Cristiano was like an ornament on the top of a Christmas tree.”
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