We couldn't break up Arsenal team-mates fighting in training – they were like animals

David Bentley recalled how no one at Arsenal was able to intervene in a fierce training ground brawl between Kolo Toure and Pascal Cygan, who he described as fighting like "animals."

The former footballer started his career with the north London club but only made nine appearances before being transferred to Blackburn Rovers in 2006. Despite only featuring once in the Gunners' Invincible Premier League season, Bentley was part of the first-team squad and was deeply involved in the intense environment that permeated Arsene Wenger's team.

The term intense might be an understatement considering the former Tottenham Hotspur player's memories of just how competitive training sessions were, confessing that he was left battered and bleeding on occasion. Speaking on the Undr The Cosh podcast, Bentley named a number of the incredibly tough characters that populated the Arsenal dressing room during his time there.

"Everyday was a fight," he stated. "You had Ray Parlour, who loved it, absolute madman. You got Martin Keown, [Dennis] Bergkamp's an animal. [He] kicked the c*** out of everyone.

"[Giovanni] van Bronckhorst. I came out with black eyes. I used to play up against him, used to elbow the life out of me. I had bloodied eyes."

Bentley went on to say: "Pascal Cygan and Kolo Toure, the best fight I've ever seen on the training ground. Two animals going at it. The whole team tried to break it up; it was hard to break it up."

Despite being just 19 years of age during Arsenal's title triumph, Bentley wasn't afraid to stand up for himself and said he even confronted Thierry Henry. He explained: "I squared up to Thierry Henry, whipped off my gloves, [and said] 'Come on, let's have it.'

"The coaching staff used to put on seven-a-sides every day. The dressing room was more concerned about winning the seven-a-side tournaments than the game on Sunday." His bold attitude and cheeky character, however, once saw him face the fury of then-skipper Patrick Vieira after playing a prank on the Frenchman, reports the Mirror.

"We used to go to Austria to this training camp where they always wanted to go up in the mountains, out the way," he said on the podcast. "And I had no idea, it was my first time. We've come down for breakfast, and what happened at Arsenal – it probably happens everywhere – was you had a French table, the English table, everybody used to kind of sit with people they get on with.

"I've come down, me being me, I'm just wanting to be friends with everyone. I think I'm mates with everyone. French tables there, I think there's [Sylvain] Wiltord, [Robert] Pires and whoever. And there's a seat and I went, 'I'm sitting there.' So I've stepped in, and I've sat down and I went, 'Morning lads, you alright?' You know, 'What you up to last night? Have a good w***?' And all that, trying to be their mate.

"And cause I don't like silence as well, I thought they can do that, can't they? Be all calm. And as I've sat there, I've looked around and these lot are smirking. I'm going, 'They're on me here, I'm going to have to back myself up. They're mugging me off.'

"And I just got a big slap, and I'm sat and I've looked up and Patrick, club captain... 'Get out my seat. You're in my seat.' And do you know when you're like, 'Ah f***, I'm red.'

"In that moment, I thought, 'If I say yes, I'm going to look like a right mug, and if I say no, I'm going to look like a right mug. I can't win.' So I went with the option of, 'No.'"

Whilst he confessed the duo are now friends more than 20 years later, there was swift retribution handed out to Bentley for his behaviour. "But for three, four months, I wasn't allowed to go on lads' nights out," he revealed.

"I was kicked... honestly, every training session he'd snap me. I used to love it, I used to play with it. I used to go, 'Patrick, where we going tonight son?!' I think I turned up a couple of times, 'I know I'm not invited, but shut up!'"