ARSENAL legend and World Cup winner Patrick Vieira has compared the mentality of Irish prospect Jack Byrne to that of Roy Keane, labelling the teenager “nuts”.
Vieira is now a youth coach Manchester City, Byrne’s parent club, and when asked to compare Ireland’s young hopeful to his old foe Keane, the Frenchman gave a witty reply.
"The only way to compare Jack and Roy is that they are both nuts," he said following a friendly meeting between City’s youth side and St Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park.
"That can help – especially when you're Irish. You must have it, as we're in a world of competition, and the desire and personality will make a difference.
"Sometimes people get it wrong between having a personality and being stupid. But Jack Byrne has personality.
"I don't know any top-quality player who doesn't have that. It's part of Jack's character and I've never had any issues with him. I love him more than anything else.”
Vieira has worked closely with Byrne at Manchester CityAs well as having the right mentality to succeed, Premier League legend Vieira also believes Byrne has the technical skills to play at a high level, but he must build on his potential having already exceeded expectations.
He added: "On the ball, he is technically very good. He understands the game quicker than anyone else. I've worked with Jack for the last few years and he really improved in the last year. It was fantastic, especially in the last three or four months, he was one of my best players.
"He got to the level where I didn't expect to be honest. He showed me that I was wrong and that's why I'm really pleased with him as he worked really hard.”
After a successful few years in City’s Elite Development Squad, the 19-year-old will now embark on a new challenge abroad after agreeing to a season-long loan with Dutch side SC Cambuur, who play in the top tier in the Netherlands.
Vieira will be keeping tabs on Byrne’s progress in the Eredivisie and he fully expects the young Irishman to step up and play “man football”.
Vieira said: "Physically, he knew that was his weaknesses and that's why I'm glad he went to Holland. I hope he plays games and does well. It was time for him to play man football. Holland was the best option and we decided together that it was a really good step for him.
"If you want to play direct, Jack will be useless but if you want to keep the ball on the floor, and you need someone really creative, Jack will be the player who can do that."
With Byrne potentially playing top flight football on the continent, Vieira was quizzed on whether he feels the Dubliner could be fast-tracked to Martin O’Neill’s senior Republic of Ireland squad, and he didn’t rule out the prospect.
"I think they are right to keep an eye on Jack,” he said. "I really don't know about the future. I think Jack [has] got the potential to play in a higher league and if he keeps working the same way he's worked the last six or seven months, he'd have a massive chance.”
