Former England and Manchester United player Gary Neville say that former Ghana and Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien was least appreciated during his heydays at Chelsea.

The English Premier League is celebrating 30 years of its existence and past players who have left an indelible ink are being remembered.

Neville says that the 'Bison' as Essien was nicknamed is one of the most underrated players the Premier League has seen as he was unplayable during his heydays and gave balance to the Chelsea team.

“A player that played at a top Premier League club and didn't get the plaudits of others was Michael Essien at Chelsea in those first two or three years,” Neville said on Sky Sports.

“The impact he had on that team, from his running ability, the energy from midfield, balancing of Frank, I thought Essien was a brilliant player," he added.

In 2005, Michael Essien became the talk of the town in England as he joined Chelsea, where he was signed as the most expensive African footballer for £24.4 million at that time.

After getting signed as a Chelsea player in 2005, he won two Premier League championships in 2006 and 2007 respectively, and three FA Cup titles in the years 2007, 2009, and 2010 consistently.

Due to the fact that he played and made a major impact in the high-ranking Premier League, Michael Essien was able to make a name for himself. During the 2012 and 2013 football seasons in August, Michael Essien was loaned to Real Madrid in Spain.

The 38-year-old is currently the assistant coach of FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark.