John O’Shea says he played with a midfielder at Man Utd who was even smarter than Zinedine Zidane

Add as preferred source on Google

John O’Shea played with some truly incredible players during his time at Manchester United.

Indeed, while John O’Shea himself wasn’t necessarily a box office star, he played alongside some of the true greats of the game.

From Cristiano Ronaldo to Wayne Rooney, O’Shea has worked with the best of the best.

Speaking to The Sun, O’Shea has now been building his so-called ‘perfect footballer’ made up of a number of different attributes.

The defender was asked to name the smartest player he’s ever seen, and, when doing so, he made an interesting claim about one former Manchester United star.

• READ MORE: Ruben Amorim has done something at Manchester United that could cost Sir Jim Ratcliffe more than £20m now

John O’Shea hails Paul Scholes’ footballing IQ

O’Shea was asked to name which player from history he believes has the highest footballing IQ.

The former United star very nearly picked Zinedine Zidane in this category, but, ultimately, he chose Paul Scholes.

O’Shea made some other interesting claims when building his perfect player, and, as you can imagine, there was a little bit of Manchester United bias on show here.

John O’Shea played with some truly fantastic players, and that is showcased by the array of talent listed in his perfect player.

John O’Shea’s record alongside Paul Scholes

O’Shea named Scholes as the smartest player he’s ever seen, and it’s easy to understand why.

Indeed, while Bruno Fernandes has previously hailed Michael Carrick’s footballing IQ, Scholes was a genius on the pitch.

Even Pep Guardiola was a fan of Scholes, and it takes a lot for a Manchester City manager to speak that highly of a Manchester United figure.

O’Shea achieved a lot during his career with Scholes, and their record together is brilliant.

O’Shea and Scholes were a massive part of Manchester United’s glory days under Alex Ferguson, and it’s easy to see why the Irishman is such a fan of his.

Scholes was an incredibly clever midfielder, and the fact that O’Shea picked him over Zidane in this regard is a testament to his talent and ability.