Former Chelsea midfield maestro Michael Essien hailed Paul Scholes as one of the toughest opponents he ever faced on the pitch.

Essien, now a prominent figure in the coaching staff of Danish club FC Nordsjaelland, reminisced about his encounters with the legendary Manchester United midfielder.

The 40-year-old assistant coach played for Chelsea from 2005 to 2014.

"I have faced a lot of good players in my career. It's difficult to tell. I face the likes of Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and a lot...Steven Gerrard," he said in an interview with Goal.

"But I always say Paul Scholes is one of the players that was quite tough."

Michael Essien also added that AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho is the best manager he ever had and Frank Lampard is the best player he played with.

"Everybody is my teammate. I love all my teammates," he added.

"It's hard to choose but I would go for Frank Lampard. Being a midfielder that scores a lot of goals. To keep doing it every season is quite amazing.

"People know my connection with Jose Mourinho so yeah [he's the best manager I have had]."