Soccer NewsPatrick Vieira defends his old adversary Roy Keane and does not rule out succeeding the Corkman at Old Trafford

Patrick Vieira has defended straight-talking Manchester United captain Roy Keane and does not rule out one day succeeding him as the Old Trafford midfield general.

Keane was so critical of his team-mates in a recent MUTV programme the show was permanently pulled from the schedule, but Vieira - who often went head to head with the United man in his nine years at Arsenal - has nothing but respect for the Irishman.

"What I like about him is he is facing everybody. He has to say what he thinks is right," said the Frenchman, who joined Juventus in the summer. "He has fantastic leadership and younger players like myself and (Steven) Gerrard learn a lot from him, he is a special player and has been an inspiration for us.

"When you are a player you always look at the best and that Manchester United team was the best in the country."

Keane has already gone on record insisting this will be his final season at United, and while Vieira is happy at Juve he did not rule out a return to the Premiership with his old club's bitter rivals.

"I'm 29 and I have signed a five-year contract at Juventus. But you never know what's going to happen in the next few years, anything can happen and then the door will be open to anybody, but maybe I will be too old," he told BBC Radio Five Live's Sport on Five programme, which airs this evening. In addition to the age factor, he has hardly endeared himself to two of United's key players, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney.

He has branded the Dutchman a cheat in his new autobiography and says he does not have "any respect" for the striker, while he also accused of Rooney of diving to win a penalty in the pivotal 2-0 United victory over Arsenal in October 2004 which brought the Gunners unbeaten league run to an end at 49 games.

Asked whether United had tried to sign him while he was at Arsenal, Vieira laughed and said: "Manchester United is a big club and they are interested about all the big players, so after all I really enjoyed my nine years at Arsenal.

"Was I tempted? No, you can't say that because when I was at Arsenal it's very difficult to go to Manchester United.

"But Manchester United is a big club and even if they are not doing well at the moment they are always going to bounce back because that is the tradition of a big club. I always loved to play against them."

Vieira revealed his "disappointment and surprise" at Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein's "neutral" stance to whether he stayed or left when Juventus approached the club in the summer.

"I didn't expect the club to say they were neutral," he added. "When you want to keep a player you say "these are your last few years, you're not leaving, we want you to stay". When they said they were neutral it was clear in my mind that I had to move on.

"Why were they neutral? Maybe the question is all about age. Maybe it was a good opportunity for them and a good opportunity for me.

"When you feel like the club don't want you any more that's when I decided to leave. But I left the club with a good understanding and a good spirit.

"I don't think I lost something because of course I spent nine years at Arsenal and it was fantastic, but moving to Juventus is one step up and I'm quite happy about that."