ROY KEANE compared Thomas Partey to his old Arsenal rival Patrick Vieira – and revealed he wished Manchester United had bought him.
The pundit’s comments came as Arsenal claimed their first win at Old Trafford since 2006, beating Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team 1-0.
Thomas Partey ontinued his impressive start to life at Arsenal against Man UtdCredit: AFP or Licensors
Roy Keane believes Partey has it in him to be his the long-awaited successor to old rival Patrick Vieira
It was not the most beautiful performance from the visitors, who scored the only goal of the game thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty.
Part of their steel came in the form of their midfield enforcer Thomas Partey, recruited on deadline day.
He impressed pundit Keane so much the Irishman compared him to his old adversary Vieira, who he frequently clashed with during United and the Gunners’ titanic battles in years gone by.
Keane told Sky Sports: “When you watch a player live, that’s when you can judge.
“The more I watch him, the more I wish he was in the Man United midfield.
“I think this kid has got a chance of matching what Patrick [Vieira] used to do.
Vieira’s dominated Arsenal’s midfield during the peak of Arsene Wenger’s time in charge Credit: AFP – Getty
Keane has proved to be a hard pundit to impress over the yearsCredit: ITV
“I wish we had him in United’s midfield. He could definitely be Arsenal’s successor to Vieira.”
It’s a bold comparison, with Vieira dominating the midfield at the Emirates for almost a decade.
But so far Partey has impressed fans in his brief appearances, including his Europa League performance against Rapid Vienna.
It’s also a compliment especially coming from Keane, who battled furiously against Vieira over the years.
This includes their infamous tunnel bust-up, where Keane exploded at what he perceived to be attempts to intimidate his team-mate Gary Neville.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
