David Beckham has branded former Manchester United captain Roy Keane as the best midfielder he has ever played with.

This is an extraordinary accolade for Keane, whose character has been questioned on numerous occasions.Keane was a central figure in the United team that won the treble in 1999. Yet, he was forced to leave the club in acrimonious circumstances after falling out with manager Sir Alex Ferguson. His exit was in many ways similar to the departure of Beckham a few years ago. Beckham has played with top midfielders like Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho during his time at Real Madrid and AC Milan respectively.

Keane has never been a player known for his skills but for his competitive nature. His ability to break the play and send his team on the attack while also captaining the team have been unrivalled in the Premier League for almost a decade. After having spent time as a manager at the likes of Sunderland and Ipswich Town,Keane is currently only working as the assistant manager for Martin O’Neill in the Republic of Ireland national team. He recently left his job as the assistant manager at Aston Villa. Beckham was close to starting the MLS franchise but those plans have been put on hold due to opposition from the locals.

“Roy will always be one of the best midfielders I’ve ever played with – his passion.There are not many players I’ve played with who have the passion that he has, and the drive. He was one of the reasons why we were successful at Manchester United, because of his drive.I want to see them [United] get better. We will at some point.We’re not doing bad at the moment. I like Van Gaal,” said Beckham, who has been a frequent visitor to Old Trafford since retiring from football.