Former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira says he was disappointed that he wasn’t invited back to the London club to learn his craft as a coach under manager Arsene Wenger. The ex-Gunner is currently manager of New York City FC after taking a role behind the scenes at Manchester City.
He led the MLS outfit to the playoffs for the first time this season after finishing second in the competition’s Eastern Conference. Speaking to RMC in France, Vieira said:
“It’s true that after spending nine years at Arsenal, it’s the club of my heart – the one where I played my best football – I would have liked if the door was more open to me or other players who spent time there and who would have wanted to learn their career as a coach.”
“I don’t know the demands of everyone, but in my case I just expected a call to ask me if I would go and learn my craft at Arsenal – without taking the place of the U21 or U19 coach, because they are good at their job.”
Vieira was with the Gunners between 1996 and 2005, making 279 appearances and scoring 29 goals, before joining Juventus in a £13.75million deal. He later went on to join Inter Milan where he spent a further four seasons and then returned for one final season in England with Manchester City in 2010.
After retiring in 2011, he developed his coaching abilities in City’s youth ranks before opting to start his managerial career in the United States earlier this year.
