For many years, Paul Scholes patrolled the Manchester United midfield with great quality. He was so assured in the middle of the park, he helped the Red Devils win 11 Premier League trophies.
As such, he is regarded as one of the best midfielders to ever grace the division, with some even ranking him as the number one player for his position. However, to succeed, any footballer needs good teammates.
Central midfielders rarely play the role alone, and for most of his career, Scholes would have a partner by his side. While he had plenty of good ones, Michael Carrick and Roy Keane spring to mind immediately, there were others he did not gel so well with.
Paul Scholes Did Not Like Playing With Juan Sebastian Veron and Anderson
Claimed they didn't defend enough
Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap Xtra, the Englishman explained that some of his past midfielders partners neglected defensive work too much. He named Juan Sebastian Veron and Anderson as a pair who he simply could not work with, explaining:
"Yeah. Me and Veron were a disaster.
"I think me and Anderson did it once. Just, no, it's not working, is it?
"Just two lads who don't care about defending, don't know the [defensive] position that well."
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He went on to then name Carrick, Keane and Nicky Butt as three players he enjoyed playing with as he felt there was more balance. It's interesting to note that the trio are predominantly defensive-minded midfielders, showing that Scholes liked the freedom to get forward more, knowing he had someone else around to provide a bit of protection in front of the backline. He noted:
"But it worked better with a Michael or a Roy or a Nicky.
"They were brilliant playing that position, they knew. I didn't know the position that well. I didn't play in the position that well, as you know."
Juan Sebastian Veron and Anderson at Man Utd
Both struggled at Old Trafford
With Scholes not enjoying his time on the pitch with Veron or Anderson, it comes as little surprise to know that neither man had a parrtcualr successful stint at Old Trafford.
Veron, in particular, arrived with a big reputation. He actually became the most expensive player in English football history when he signed for United from Lazio in 2001, for a fee of £28.7 million.
However, he failed to live up to expectations during his time with the Red Devils, managing 26 and then 25 Premier League starts in his only two seasons with the club before being sold to Chelsea, where he continued to struggle, albeit with injury issues to blame.
Big things were also expected of Brazilian midfielder Anderson. He scored a penalty in the Champions League final shootout victory vs Chelsea in his debut season, and then picked the Golden Boy award that summer as the best young player in the world.
Sadly, this was his peak. His tally for 24 Premier League appearances in his first campaign in England was never bettered. While he played 181 times for the club across eight years, he never quite made a starting role his own. No doubt, his struggles alongside Scholes would have played a part. He left in 2015 and joined Internacional on a free transfer.