Jamie Redknapp: Yaya Toure a "freak of nature"

Former Liverpool captain Jamie Redknapp has talked of up the talents of Yaya Toure by describing the Manchester City midfielder as a "freak of nature".

Toure scored the equalising goal as City won the League Cup with a 3-1 triumph over Sunderland on Sunday, and Redknapp, who was watching the game as an analyst for Sky Sports, praised the Ivorian after the game.

Redknapp told the Daily Mail: "Yaya Toure is a freak of nature. It feels wrong that he is so big and yet he can have such nimble, happy feet. He has the skill of (Barcelona duo) Andres Iniesta and Xavi, but the force and power of a racehorse.

"I don't think I have ever seen another player like him. He is such a wonderful talent. He can bulldoze his way through an opponent or pass and move around him.

"I would love to see Yaya up against Patrick Vieira in a head-to-head, with both of them at their peak. Who would win that 50-50? Vieira is stronger defensively than the modern Yaya, but we shouldn't forget the Ivorian played at centre-half in a Champions League final and strolled through that game."

City return to Premier League action this weekend as they entertain Aston Villa.