Juan Sebastian Veron struggled at Manchester United because of Roy Keane, claims Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand believes Juan Sebastian Veron could have been a huge success at Manchester United if it wasn't for the presence of Roy Keane.
The Argentine made the switch from Lazio to Old Trafford in 2001 in a mouthwatering £28.1million deal – then a record sum for a Premier League transfer.
However, the midfielder struggled to settle in at the club, and after scoring seven times in 51 Premier League appearances, he was sold to Chelsea for £15m two years later.
Former England defender Ferdinand, who won six league titles with the Red Devils from 2002-2014, believes the playmaker would have 'flourished' at the club had Sir Alex Ferguson not already had Keane at his disposal.
When asked to choose between Veron and former Real Madrid star Guti in an Instagram Q&A, Ferdinand said: "Oh what a good question. Veron or Guti… For the older listeners, older viewers out here, Veron, Sebastian Veron, scored one of the best goals I’ve ever seen in training.
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"The little rabona thing, bang from the halfway line, the whole training session shut down, stopped. 'Did you just see that, what Juan Sebastian’s just done there?'
"He was an unbelievable player, great passer. The only thing I think that killed him was Roy Keane was probably a bit more of a dominant personality and was picking the ball up in his positions.
"You have to remember Veron came from Lazio, Parma where he was the main man, the whole game went through him. He came to United, that’s what Roy Keane did.
"Keane came and got it off the defenders, passed it through to the midfielders and attackers, and got in positions and was very vocal, like 'Yeah, give me the ball! Give me the ball!'
"And out of respect probably Seba just said, “I’ll let Roy keep doing that”.
"But Seba was an amazing talent. I honestly think without Roy Keane there he might have flourished in a Manchester United shirt.
"I think Roy Keane was his problem. And it wasn’t Roy Keane’s fault, it’s just that his personality was bigger and more overpowering."
Switching back to Guti, he added: "If you go on YouTube and type in Guti, he was at Real Madrid for a number of years, and see what that guy was doing.
"Absolutely mesmerising footballer. Crazy skills. The backheel he does, you’ve got to go and get it, go on YouTube, watch Guti’s backheel he does for one of the goals, it’s unbelievable, he sets someone up. What a player."