The best goalscoring midfielder of his generation, at the very least.

It was intelligence that he used to get in the right place, not pace.

Decent in the air, but not outstanding.

Always a weakness in his game, though he was above average.

Worked hard, both on the pitch and in training to improve.

Starting out as a striker meant he was a very good finisher.

Was never the quickest across the ground, but he gained a yard or two in his head.

Never the best in the air, in large part due to his lack of height and that he ended up playing deeper so never needed to use his head that way too often.

At the start of his career he was very weak defensively, but he learnt how to defend as time went on.

Always worked hard for the team.