16 January 2024 , 01:12
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Former title winner Chris Sutton has snubbed Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard from his list of the Premier League's five greatest midfielders.
Gerrard was named the Footballer of the Year in 2009, was Liverpool's Player of the Year four times and was included in the Premier League's Team of the Year on eight occasions. But the England star was never able to win the title during his time at Anfield.
He did lift the Champions League, the UEFA Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cups with the Reds though. Even so, Sutton, who won the title with Blackburn Rovers, has overlooked the iconic Liverpool captain.
Instead, at number five Sutton selected Arsenal's legendary skipper Patrick Vieira, with former Chelsea star and Gerrard's England team-mate Frank Lampard in fourth, behind current Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne.
"Patrick Vieira at five. I mean just the way he lifted that Arsenal team, the greatest Arsenal team I've ever seen in my lifetime," Sutton told the It's All Kicking Off podcast as he selected his top five.
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"He had everything, brilliant leadership, he was strong, he was robust. Lifted players around him, but he would be in at five. Frank Lampard at four, his numbers, the goals he scored. A lot of penalties.
"A lot of 30 yarders as well. Big goals as well, a big game player. So he'd be my number four. The artist Kevin De Bruyne at three. What can't he do? He's got such unbelievable awareness. Eyes in the back of his head."
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Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard did not make Sutton's list (Getty Images)Two United legends are next in Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, with Sutton having beaten both to the title in the 1994/1995 campaign. That was three years before Keane took over as United skipper, though Sutton has revealed he would have loved to have played with the Irishman.
But the former striker reserved special praise for Scholes, who won an extraordinary 11 titles. Sutton highlighted Scholes' passing ability as the prime reason for putting the Englishman top of his list.
"At number two, Roy Keane. I just would have loved to have been in that Manchester United team in that dressing room. I was in awe of him [and of] that whole United team," Sutton added.
"He was the leader, he was the catalyst, he was the go-to man, the driving force, so he would be in it too. My number one would be Paul Scholes. I mean, what couldn't he do? And people talk about De Bruyne.
"I think Scholes was every bit as good as De Bruyne in terms of passing range, ability and awareness. He was maybe stronger in the tackle than Kevin De Bruyne. But I mean, it's so difficult to choose.
"But if you look at Paul Scholes' numbers, I think 11 Premier Leagues, he won. De Bruyne is nowhere near that at this moment in time. He [Scholes] went back to Manchester United [after initially retiring] and won things as well. He was such a phenomenal player."