Why Matt Le Tissier gets in my early Premier League XI ahead of David Beckham... and 'timid' Roy Keane is in with his mates Patrick Vieira and Alan Shearer

• Harry Redknapp's latest book, A Man Walks On To a Pitch, is being serialised by Sportsmail this week  
• Redknapp picks his all-time Premier League team from early era
• QPR boss chooses Tony Adams in defence, who he calls 'influential'
• Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira line-up in his central midfield
• Alan Shearer and Dennis Bergkamp up front, with Matt Le Tissier on right

By Harry Redknapp

Published: 16:36 EST, 8 October 2014 | Updated: 04:11 EST, 9 October 2014

For 50 years, Harry Redknapp has been one of football’s most colourful and outspoken characters. Now he’s written a book every fan will want to read.

In Redknapp’s new book 'A Man Walks On To a Pitch' - serialised exclusively by Sportsmail this week - the QPR manager picks his two all-time greatest Premier League teams from the early years to the present day.

From Alan Shearer to Ryan Giggs, the 67-year-old reveals his one to 11 titans of the early Premier League era.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira disagreeing over old battles 

My best team for this period includes possibly the most controversial selection of my whole book: Matt Le Tissier instead of David Beckham. I know some people will think I’ve gone mad. But David was a fantastic player in a fantastic team, whereas Matt was performing heroics that built a football club.

Without him, Southampton couldn’t have stayed in the top division for so long, and without that they would not have been able to build their new stadium and its fabulous academy that saw players like Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott come through the ranks. 

Sportsmail can exclusively reveal Harry Redknapp's greatest Premier League XI from the early era

Le Tissier’s 10 greatest goals would stand alongside those by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo -even Diego Maradona or Pele.

He was a one-man band there for a lot of the time, like Sir Tom Finney had been at Preston.

People would ask ‘Why isn’t he playing for Manchester United then?’ He was just happy to be at a club he had known since he was 16, happy to be 30 minutes away from his family in the Channel Islands.

I think he would have been brilliant at a club like Arsenal, but just because he didn’t make that jump doesn’t mean he’s not smart.

Matt Le Tissier scores against Manchester United in 1996 as David Beckham (right) looks on

Le Tissier (left) scores a spectacular volley for Southampton against Wimbledon in 1994

David Beckham with Le Tissier in 1999 - the former Manchester United star misses out on Redknapp's XI

Patrick Vieira was a different type of midfield player and one every club would like to take now. He almost came to me at Tottenham from Inter Milan.

I thought it was an incredible decision by him, after he’d been such a hero at Arsenal.

I met him at his house in Hampstead and he had no fear about what people would think or what reception he would get. He had enough confidence in his ability to just brush it away.

I remember talking to Daniel Levy, our chairman, about him. He said the crowd would be hostile. I knew that - but if he had enough bottle to want to put on our white shirt after all that had gone before, I thought it said something about the man.

Patrick Vieira drives past Luis Boa Morte in 2001 - the Arsenal star was the ultimate box-to-box midfielder

Vieira and his great rival Roy Keane clash during a match at Highbury in 1999 - it wouldn't be the last time

In the end, his circumstances changed and he decided to stay in Italy. By the time he did become available - the following January - our needs had changed and Manchester City snapped him up.

Patrick is the player Arsenal have never really replaced, but I still find it bizarre that he ended up in a blazer at Manchester City. Shouldn’t he be at Arsenal?

It is ironic that so many associate Arsene Wenger with the beautiful game, yet his Arsenal teams, with Vieira - the ultimate box-to-box midfielder - did as much as anybody to introduce real physical power into the modern Premier League.

Tony Adams: A leader of men at 16

I first saw him aged 16 and I don’t think I have ever seen a player of that age bossing a game in that way. It stayed with me for a long time.

Tony was such an influence that he as good as ran every dressing-room he played in, for England and Arsenal.

Tony Adams was a brilliant and inspirational captain who led from the front for Arsenal, says Redknapp

Redknapp saw Adams play as a 16-year-old and said he bossed the game at an extremely young age

Adams (left) clears the ball away during an international for England against Norway at Wembley in 1992

Stuart Pearce: Search-and-destroy 'Psycho'

My West Ham chairman wouldn’t let me buy him, aged 34, because he said he was too old. I eventually got him at 37, he played 50 games in two seasons and was voted Hammer of the Year. He was on a search-and-destroy mission in every game.

The first time the ball came to you he was going to smash you, run all over you, chip you into the stand and then take the ball, run forward and shoot. Then he’d get back just as fast as he got up. He was a dream left-back.

Stuart Pearce, nicknamed 'Psycho' and seen screaming during Euro 96, was the 'perfect left back'

Redknapp (left) eventually signed Pearce at West Ham United as a 37-year-old having courted him for years

The left back, here playing for Newcastle United against Everton in 1998, was good in attack and defence

Roy Keane: The pussycat

Do you know why it took so long for Roy Keane to get his break as a kid? He was a bit timid. Unbelievable isn’t it? But those were the words of our Irish scout, and he knew him inside out.

He was a right-winger at the time, and they thought he was a bit soft. It is amazing how people change.

Roy Keane (right) was not picked up by Redknapp's Irish scout because he was deemed to be a 'bit timid'

Keane forged a wonderful career with Manchester United, including captaining them against Juventus

Keane takes a swing at old foe Alan Shearer during a United defeat at Newcastle in 2001

The former Ireland midfielder (right) competes for the ball during a match for Nottingham Forest in 1992

The front cover of Redknapp's new book, A Man Walks On To a Pitch, which is released on Thursday

'A Man Walks On To A Pitch' by Harry Redknapp is published by Ebury Press, priced £20. Offer price £16 until October 21. Order at mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0808-272-0808 — p&p is free for a limited time only.