Former Arsenal winger Robert Pires has revealed that Gary Neville used to shout abuse at him to try and throw him off his game during matches between the Gunners and Manchester United.

Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams were at the forefront of the domestic game in the late 1990s and early 2000s, battling fiercely for the Premier League title.

Pires, one of a number of Frenchman brought to north London by Wenger, and Neville, who rose through the academy ranks at United, would often go toe-to-toe as a left winger and right back respectively.

And, according to Pires, Neville would taunt him with vicious insults during matches in order to get the better of the Frenchman.

Neville’s tactics appeared to work because, despite scoring 85 goals in 284 appearances for Arsenal, Pires never managed to find the back of the net against United.

Speaking about his battles with Neville, the 48-year-old told The Times: ‘My record against them is catastrophic and I know it.

‘My friend Gary Neville. Psychologically, he was always on top of me. He would talk to me all the time, he’d insult me all the time.

‘It was in English, so I didn’t understand anything, but I knew they weren’t nice words. He was always talking to me, always barging me, always looking for me.

‘He knew how to unsettle me. And unfortunately, he won. I had run-ins with him, with Wayne Rooney, all the time.

‘Neville was really tough. It was just psychological with him. I knew I wasn’t going to succeed. I knew I was going to suffer.’

During that period of domestic dominance for Arsenal, Wenger led them to three Premier League titles between 1998 and 2004, as well as three FA Cup successes.

Perhaps the most confrontational meeting between the two teams was the ‘Battle of Old Trafford in 2003’ but Pires was an unused substitute that afternoon.

United also ended Arsenal’s 49-game unbeaten run at Old Trafford in 2004 with Gunners fans furiously claiming Wayne Rooney divided for a penalty that brought the opening goal.

Talking about their rivalry during that time, Pires told Off The Ball last month: ‘It was the fight on the field. I think Man United and Arsenal at this time were the best teams in England, but also in Europe.’

‘The teams were very similar. Ferguson and Wenger, their objective was to build a very good team. It was amazing, when I used to play against Man United in Old Trafford or in Highbury it was an amazing game.’

‘It was very electric, very sensational. We felt something between Man United and Arsenal – it was very, very good.’