Denis Irwin's chess battles with Eric Cantona didn't last long

The Corkman was ranked at 46 in FourFourTwo's top 100 players of the Premier League era

Denis Irwin of Manchester United

Denis Irwin has lifted the lid on what it was like to play Eric Cantona in chess, why the Manchester United Treble vintage of 1999 just edge out the ’94 league and FA Cup winners, as well as the feeling of scoring a wonder free-kick at Anfield.

In an interview with FourFourTwo magazine, in which the Togher native was voted 46th of the top 100 players in the Premier League era, the former Old Trafford stalwart attempted to explain what separated two of Alex Ferguson’s greatest sides.