Man Utd: Nemanja Vidic showed Mario Balotelli who's boss vs Man City in 2011

Nemanja Vidic was as hard as nails.

Seldom has the Premier League seen a more fearsome defender than the gladiator who stood firm at the heart of Manchester United‘s back-line across so many of their greatest successes.

Say what you like about Vidic’s claim to being the division’s finest centre-back of all time, but it’s surely beyond reproach that he’s the toughest defender of all to call England’s top-flight his home.

Don’t just take our word for it, though, because the analysis of Robin van Perise upon Vidic’s departure from 2014 provides the perfect description of what it was that he brought to United.

According to the Daily Mail, Van Persie oh-so-perfectly explained: “When I think of him as a footballer, Nemanja puts his head where other players are scared to put their feet

“I see him diving sometimes to block a ball and when I’m witnessing that I’m scared for him, scared that something bad happens to him. But, this is Nemanja… unbelievable!

“The way he defends, the way he lives his life is incredible. I will miss him, Manchester United will miss him but Inter Milan can feel very lucky to have him for the next few years.”

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As such, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that more than a few players got a little jittery at the knees whenever they came face-to-face with Vidic.

Not only did you want to avoid being on the receiving of a ten-tonne slide-tackle from the Serbian, but you also wanted to dodge any chance of him staring into your soul as part of a confrontation.

Besides, even the most daring, ambitious and arguably foolhardy of competitors would wilt like a little daisy when they took on Vidic – and that includes a