When it came to defending in the Premier League, there were few better at it than Nemanja Vidic.



The lion-hearted Serbian was a stalwart in the Manchester United backline during one of the clubs most successful ever periods.

Alongside Rio Ferdinand, Vidic formed one of the most intimidating partnerships the league has ever seen.

Even so, there were still a few players that Vidic was not fond of coming up against and, in a recent interview with The Athletic, he named the four toughest strikers he ever faced on English shores.

In what might come as a big shock to many, Vidic snubbed a certain Fernando Torres - which is surprising considering the Spaniard seemed to have his number on a few occasions.


So if not Torres, then who?

Well, the first three names will make a lot of sense, with Vidic mentioning Sergio Aguero, Luis Suarez, and Didier Drogba.

However, the mention of former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch might raise more than a few eyebrows.

Vidic explains:

"My first experience was Peter Crouch. I'd never seen a two-metres tall player before", he said.

He played for Liverpool and we played them in a cup game at Anfield. I was thinking 'Wow, what can I do today with this guy?

Liverpool won that game 1-0, with Crouch ultimately bullying one of the best defenders in the world at the time.

Having played at the top of the game for so long, Vidic pocketed some of the worlds finest attacking talent week in week out.

The four players mentioned above can count it as quite an honour to be called some of his greatest opponents.

Sadly, things are not quite the same at United anymore, with the club crying out for a defender of Vidic's ilk as they attempt to recreate the glory of years gone by.

Still, fans can look back fondly at those Vidic years and know they played witness to some of the finest defensive masterclasses English football has seen.