“F*****g hell, I camped all over him mate” – Ex-Arsenal star says Roy Keane was ‘perfect’ to play against as he describes Manchester United legend as ‘not clever’

Former Arsenal midfielder David Hillier has boldly claimed that Manchester United legend Roy Keane was one of the easiest opponents to play against during his time.

Hillier played for Arsenal and Portsmouth before moving to Bristol Rovers and eventually hanging his boots after a stint at Barnet in the 2002/03 season.

On the other hand, Keane played for Cobh Ramblers and Nottingham Forest before moving to Manchester United and spending the majority of his career there. He called it quits after playing a season with Celtic in 2006.

Speaking on the Undr The Cosh podcast, Hillier recalled his meetings with Keane and claimed the former United midfielder was 'not clever' and labeled him as the dream opponent. He said:

"I had a few. I had a game against Roy Keane at [Nottingham] Forest. We played them in the cup. F*****g hell, I camped all over him mate. He was my dream player to play against because he, Carlton Palmer, perfect for me.

"Used to rangey, long, simple runs, not clever players, easy to pick off. Roy Keane weren't a clever player when he made runs. He was just direct third man run, that's all it was."

He continued:

"It was standard training. Into the front, back into the midfield. The other midfielder goes, just track his run. I had the ability to get the ball off them and I could play a pass so I could just come out of it, just play a pass off."

Hillier claims he was as fit as the Manchester United legend

David Hillier was quizzed about his fitness after his bold claims of keeping the Manchester United legend quiet.

He added that he was as fit as the legendary midfielder and said:

"Oh I was easily as fit as Roy Keane, easily. I was fitter than Roy Keane. In fact, I was so fit that when he got stuck at a nightclub when we was out that night and he didn't get in cause he had trainers on, I run back to the hotel got him a pair of shoes and come back. I was that fit. I still had enough running."

Hillier never managed to break into the England national team and made just one appearance for the U21 side.