Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Roy Keane was the best player goalkeeper Tim Howard played with.
That's according to the American shot stopper, who hung up his boots this month after a playing career spanning 22 years.
Howard spent four years at Manchester United, playing alongside Keane as well as legends of the game Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, before moving onto Everton in 2007 for nine seasons.
And it is Keane, who left the City Ground in the summer after a second stint on Trentside as Martin O'Neill's assistant manager, who Howard identifies as his main inspiration from his playing days.
The Republic of Ireland international spent three years at the City Ground at the beginning of the 1990s before moving on to Manchester United, where he remained for 13 years.
"I played with so many great players and leaders in my career, but to me, none was better than Roy Keane during my time at Manchester," Howard told ESPN.
"He was the toughest son of a b***h I ever met. Nothing short of brilliant.
"As a coach, he taught me about resilience. And never giving up on myself. I took so much of what I learned from being around him and used it over the rest of my career, trying to pass it along to the next generation."
