Manchester United legend Roy Keane has heaped praise on Arsenal new boy Thomas Partey after his performance in the Gunners’ 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The former United captain was in awe of the Ghanaian international’s quality and compared him to his old rival and Arsenal hero Patrick Vieira.

When asked about Partey’s performance at Old Trafford, Keane told Sky Sports that they had pointed out before the game that Partey “is no mug”.

“He’s played for a big club, he’s played in big competitions and he’s big, he’s strong, he’s aggressive and he likes to pass it forward. He can deal with the ball, he looks comfortable on the ball, just small little details, composure, good first touch, retaining possession, that’s the name of the game.”

Keane also opined that the ‘Red Devils’ missed out on a golden opportunity to snatch the former Atlético Madrid star this summer.

“When you watch a player live, that’s when you can judge and 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. He could definitely be Arsenal’s successor to Vieira.”

Arsenal’s victory sees them move up to ninth but just four points separate them from table-toppers Liverpool.

They will next host Molde FK in the Europa League on Thursday.