Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Brad Friedel has lambasted France goalkeeping legend Fabien Barthez as "ignorant" and "disrespectful for comments he made when comparing him with Hugo Lloris.
Lloris, who joined Tottenham on transfer deadline day from Lyon for £8m, was on the substitutes bench against Reading at the weekend but made his debut in the goalless draw against Lazio in the Europa League on Thursday night.
During the international break, the France international coach Didier Deschamps suggested Lloris was unhappy playing second fiddle to 41-year-old Friedel, who has played 308 successive Premier League games.
And Barthez, a team-mate of Deschamps' during France's victorious World Cup and European Championship campaigns in 1998 and 2000, told Le Parisien: "Lloris is one of the five best goalkeepers in the world.
Barthez played against Friedel six times in his club career
"He is faster than Friedel, he jumps higher, and he is very strong mentally. What is happening now is incomprehensible, but I am not concerned. He will become the centre-piece for the club.
"Hugo is a calm guy, a good worker. Tottenham will not let him stay on the bench for a long time."
Friedel said on Twitter it was "out of order" that Barthez directly referred to him in the interview, despite the former Manchester United stopper's comments appearing to reflect the majority of those involved within the game across the Channel.
He added he had "no respect" for the 41-year-old, who retired from football in 2007.