Vieira, who was itching for a senior coaching job,
will continue his development in a carefully managed environment - and
all under the watch of the Premier League leaders
New York City are not the first, or biggest, club to have shown an
interest in Patrick Vieira. A number of Premier League chairmen have had
designs on the former midfielder in recent years, but their enquiries
were all met with the same response: he is too important to Manchester City.
Vieira has long been identified as an important member of the City project. As a player, he contributed to the FA Cup win in 2011, the club's first trophy in 35 years.
Having hung up his boots after a short cameo in the final, he was immediately handed a lucrative role as ‘Football Development Executive’. The Arsenal legend not only won a trophy on the pitch with City – during the Gunners’ much-publicised draught - but he then became a key player in the Manchester club’s long-term aim to dominate English football.
In May 2013, as the club ditched Roberto Mancini in favour of Manuel Pellegrini’s more ‘holistic’ approach, Vieira was handed the reins to City’s Elite Development Squad. It had even been mooted that Vieira could take over the first team himself; instead he was given the chance to develop just as much as the young players now under his guidance. Sporting director Txiki Begiristain, who had once put Pep Guardiola in charge of Barcelona’s B team and, of course, later trusted him with the senior side, was just one member of the City hierarchy to ensure Vieira was being looked after.
Vieira has long been identified as an important member of the City project. As a player, he contributed to the FA Cup win in 2011, the club's first trophy in 35 years.
Having hung up his boots after a short cameo in the final, he was immediately handed a lucrative role as ‘Football Development Executive’. The Arsenal legend not only won a trophy on the pitch with City – during the Gunners’ much-publicised draught - but he then became a key player in the Manchester club’s long-term aim to dominate English football.
In May 2013, as the club ditched Roberto Mancini in favour of Manuel Pellegrini’s more ‘holistic’ approach, Vieira was handed the reins to City’s Elite Development Squad. It had even been mooted that Vieira could take over the first team himself; instead he was given the chance to develop just as much as the young players now under his guidance. Sporting director Txiki Begiristain, who had once put Pep Guardiola in charge of Barcelona’s B team and, of course, later trusted him with the senior side, was just one member of the City hierarchy to ensure Vieira was being looked after.