Patrick Vieira took football so seriously that he made sure nobody at Arsenal would escape criticism if required.

That is what Fabrice Muamba recalls from his time with the Gunners between 2002 and 2007.

The retired midfielder saw first-hand what type of impact French legend Vieira had on the playing group during his successful stint in North London.

"It was not just Patrick's physicality, I was struck by his quality and ability to see stuff and how seriously he took football," Muamba said in an interview for the Daily Express.

"He never let anybody get away with anything," explains Muamba, who recently completed his UEFA A licence and is considering a return to football.

"These days people are scared to let team-mates know exactly what they think of them. But when I saw him have a go at Martin Keown, I knew that nobody was above criticism.

"Watching him shout 'effing this' and 'effing that' at one of the most senior players in the club made me realise that absolutely everybody had to live up to his high standards.

"Patrick trained how he plays. If a tackle needed to be made, he would make it. And any youngster coming into training for the first time would be summoned for a quiet word beforehand at the side of the pitch.

"The thing he told me was to give my everything always in training, because he certainly would be. By the end of the session, I had the bruises to prove it!

"It impressed on me the qualities that made Arsenal the best team in the country at the time."