Phil Neville talks to Hot Press about Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney, The Airtricity League & Seamus Coleman

On Roy Keane, Phil says, "He makes me laugh, he makes me smile. Everything about him I just love. He was always at arm's length, but I had an unbelievable amount of respect for him and he showed an unbelievable amount of respect back to me. He was scary, he was frightening and he pushed me never to settle for second best. You know when you look for leaders that you want to be in the trenches with when you go to war? Roy was that person. I always knew 110% as a full-back that he'd be there to take the ball off me, and that if I had a problem on the pitch he'd be the first one – sometimes literally! – to jump in and help."
On Wayne Rooney, he says, "I've seen him come to training in his slippers because, you know, Wayne is Wayne, he just wants to play football. He's at his best when he's out on the training pitch. He never stops running and working, and sucks other people in with his enthusiasm. I think he could become an unbelievable captain – not so much in terms of what he says, but what he does on the pitch."

Discussing Ireland's hot young Everton prospect, Seamus Coleman, Phil says, "He's only made a handful of first-team starts, and already he's bossing games. He's got that something in him that's going to make him successful. He'll run through a brick wall for you and I absolutely love him to bits. I think he's got an unbelievable opportunity to be Everton and Ireland's right-back for the next ten years

On the Airtricity League, where Coleman learned his footballing chops, Phil says, "Personally, I think playing Airtricity League football in front of two or three thousand people and learning how to deal with crowds and the media is a far better education for young Irish lads than being stuck in the Scunthorpe – or indeed Everton – youth teams for two or three seasons."

In a wide-ranging and engaging interview, Phil picks his ultimate football hero. "The best of the best has to be Ryan Giggs," he says, "because he's done it for so long and doesn't have bad days. He always remains that calm, cool, levelheaded guy. He still has the same mates; he still lives in the same town; he still goes down to his mum's for tea. To remain so humble and relate to everyone – that's the most impressive part. He's a soccer superstar genius. I learned everything off Ryan Giggs – he's my hero".

To read the full interview, get the latest Hot Press out now!