As two of the biggest football clubs in the world, Arsenal and Manchester United have had their fair share of epic tussles over the years.
The rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United was especially intense in the 1990s and 2000s, when Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were in charge.
For a number of years, both clubs were head and shoulders above the rest of the competitions, and there were some huge clashes between the two.
Ian Wright, one of Arsenal’s greatest ever strikers, has been up against many of the greatest players of his generation during his career.
When it came to the most intense opponent he had ever faced, he named one particular player who spent most of his career at Man United.
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Ian Wright names Manchester United legend Roy Keane as his most intense opponent
Wright, speaking to Stadium Astro in 2020, was asked about the most intense opponent he had ever faced, given the Arsenal star played with considerable intensity himself.
The Highbury icon named former Man United midfielder and captain Roy Keane, saying his intensity is why the Red Devils won so much when he was in their ranks.
“The most intense I’ve played against would probably have to be Roy Keane,” said Wright. “Roy Keane was really intense.
“There was no let-up in his manner on the pitch when he was on there with Manchester United and this is why they won so much.
“This is why they were so revered. This is why they were so great.
“Because he was a captain that didn’t let anybody rest on their laurels and he drove that team for many years. He was majorly intense on the pitch.”
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Roy Keane’s career
Keane began his football journey in the Republic of Ireland with Cork youth club Rockmount before joining Cobh Ramblers in 1989.
He was scouted by Nottingham Forest, who he joined in 1990, and three years later he joined Man United for a then British record fee of £3.75million.
At Old Trafford, Keane developed from an exciting talent to one of the best midfielders in world football, winning seven Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Keane also lifted four FA Cups, an Intercontinental Cup and four Charity Shields at Man United. He also won 67 caps for the Republic of Ireland.
Keane joined Celtic in December 2005, where he won the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Cup, before retiring in the summer of 2006 on medical grounds.
