Former Arsenal legend Martin Keown has revealed that hid old teammate Patrick Vieira is perfectly suited for a career in management as he is a natural born leader that used to hold secret meetings without Arsene Wenger present when he captained that Gunners, the Daily Mail reports.
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With pressure continuing to mount on current boss Manuel Pellegrini, Vieira has been touted as a possible replacement for the under fire Chilean.
The 38-year-old spent nine seasons with the Gunners during his prime, but finished off his playing days with a year at City in 2010-11, and has since been employed by the defending Premier League champions as a Football Development Executive.
That role means he has a say in everything from youth development to the club’s commercial partnerships, though he is currently taking his coaching badges alongside the likes of Aston Villa’s Tim Sherwood and Swansea boss Garry Monk.
Keown has backed the ex-World Cup winner as the ideal candidate to take over at the Etihad, citing his leadership qualities as the thing that makes him standout over anyone else, and even revealed that once he was given the armband at Arsenal he would hold meetings without manager Arsene Wenger.
“When he took over as captain he would hold team meetings without Arsene Wenger and was never afraid to speak his mind. He is not afraid to take on big personalities — that’s because personalities don’t come much bigger than Patrick’s,” he said.
“He did not shout and scream — he was always calm and spoke with real authority. He never wanted to make rash decisions and is such a solid, reliable character. That’s why he will make a fantastic manager one day. From the first day I met him at Arsenal, Patrick has remained respectful and likeable. Nothing has changed.”
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