Patrick Vieira knows a thing or two about a quality player when he sees one of after a hugely successful career in the game.
Vieira won it all and for Arsenal fans, he is regarded as one of the all-time great midfield players.
The Frenchman was a key cog in the Invincibles team as well, before going on to have huge success with the likes of Juventus and Inter Milan, not to mention winning the World Cup and Euros with France.
Nevertheless, not everyone was as talented or, indeed, got the credit like Vieira and others did.
Now, though, Vieira has given one former Arsenal man his flowers, naming him as the most underrated player he played with.
How big can a fit Mikel Merino be for Arsenal next season after his heroics for Spain?
Patrick Vieira names Edu as Arsenal’s most underrated player
That Arsenal team in 2003/04 was full of talent but in any squad, you need the ‘workhorses’ to get things done as well.
Edu was just that – and obviously had quality as well in the locker – and speaking to ITV, Vieira has revealed just why he goes with Edu as his most underrated player.
“Underrated. I’m going to say Edu from Arsenal,” Vieira revealed on ITV Sport.
“I think the Brazilian Edu was really good holding midfielder. I loved to play with him because technically he was he was a really good player and he was much better than what people think and he had a really good career with us at Arsenal.”
Looking back at the stats, Edu was indeed a solid player for Arsene Wenger’s side.
He made over 120 appearances in four years and scored some crucial goals as well, netting 15 times overall to hold a decent record for a holding midfielder.
Arsenal paid just £6m for Edu as well, meaning he was a huge bargain given the impact he ended up having on the team.
Now, with comments like these from Vieira, Arsenal fans can truly realise just how valuable the Brazilian was.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
