The former Cameroon international, 47, was a no-nonsense member of the Gunners squad which went unbeaten in the 2003/04 season Premier League. That title was one of five trophies he won during his six-and-a-half year stay.

While Arsenal were a dominant force under Arsene Wenger, they always had their work cut out for them when facing Sir Alex Ferguson’s formidable Manchester United side. And Lauren had one of the hardest tasks of them all.

“He’s the cleverest opponent I ever came up against. He was so intelligent; he was always looking at me, trying to figure out how to get around me.

“He knew that if he drew me in closer to him, his team-mates could attack the space, but if I left him to go into the middle of the park, they’d have an extra man in that area. He was always very clever.

“And then if you let him get the ball to feet, running at you, he was so difficult to stop. He made you think about him. You know, when that game against Manchester United was coming up, I’d be thinking about him.”

‌It was no mean feat trying to contain the threat of Giggs, but Lauren did have great preparation as he was regularly facing world-class talent on the training pitch. And that helped him when it came to matchday.

“The good thing I had was that I was training every day with some of the best players in the world, the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Nwankwo Kanu,” he explained.

They taught me the importance of concentration, which I could then take with me into those big games against players like Giggs.‌ These guys are gifted, quite simply.

“But that kind of experience only improves you as a defender, because one of the best games I played as a professional was when we beat them at Old Trafford to become champions.”

The Gunners were 1-0 victors away at United in the penultimate game of the 2001/02 season, a win which secured the first title Lauren won during his stay in north London. That was one of many memorable clashes between the two teams in the noughties.