Gary Neville: Saha and Essien are Premier League's most underrated men

Gary Neville names Louis Saha and Michael Essien as the two most underrated players he faced in the Premier League… admitting his ex-Man United team-mate ‘destroyed him’ at centre-back while branding the former Chelsea star a ‘brilliant’ midfielder

• Gary Neville named Louis Saha and Michael Essien as most underrated rivals 
• Saha ‘destroyed’ Neville twice while at Fulham before Manchester United move
• Neville hailed Essien’s role in a dominant Chelsea side alongside Frank Lampard
• Jamie Carragher found challenges in games Liverpool were expected to win 

Gary Neville has named Michael Essien and Louis Saha as his most underrated Premier League players, in a discussion about three decades of the new top flight.

Former Manchester United star Neville named the pair – including former Red Devil Saha – as the people who came to mind about the unsung heroes he faced while playing.

Essien spent eight years at Chelsea, working in a packed Blues midfield working alongside players like Frank Lampard in his time at Stamford Bridge, where he won two Premier League titles.

Chelsea’s Michael Essien has been named as one of Gary Neville’s most underrated players

Louis Saha, who spent four years at Manchester United, caused problems for Neville at Fulham

Speaking to Sky Sports in response to a fan question, the 47-year-old pundit said: ‘A player that played at a top Premier League club and didn’t get the plaudits of others was Michael Essien at Chelsea in those first two or three years. The impact he had on that team, from his running ability, the energy from midfield, balancing of Frank, I thought Essien was a brilliant player.’

The Ghanaian played for Real Madrid, AC Milan and Panathaniakos before retiring in 2020. He now coaches in Denmark with FC Nordsjaelland.

Saha played for a number of Premier League sides, signing for United from Fulham in 2004, and playing alongside Neville at Old Trafford for four years.

Neville said Saha ‘destroyed’ him twice while he was at Fulham, before moving to Old Trafford

The French striker also made appearances for Newcastle, Everton, Tottenham and Sunderland while plying his trade in England.

Saha played six games for Lazio in Italy before hanging up his boots in 2013, and set up AxisStars, a professional network for professional athletes and entertainers.

‘I think the one that I played against, then ended up playing at United, was Louis Saha when he played for Fulham,’ Neville told the panel. ‘He destroyed me at centre-back twice. Once when he was in the Championship in the FA Cup, and next time in the Premier League.’

Neville named his most underrated players to mark three decades of the Premier League 

Jamie Carragher found the biggest challenges in matches Liverpool were expected to win 

Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, had a number of other selections for his underrated picks – noting the challenge that came from fixtures the Reds were favourites to win.

‘The games I found difficult was against the likes of Kevin Davies or Bobby Zamora or Duncan Ferguson, when their teams were really direct, and when you’re playing against a team everyone expects you to beat, everyone expects you to win every challenge,’ Carragher revealed.

‘They just give you an absolute nightmare, using their body, winning the ball. You’re involved in the game a lot more than you would be against United or Arsenal, because they pass it round the back. It’s about being switched on and me organising the people in front, but that’s long-throws and set-pieces. I was never the tallest either.’

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