It appears inevitable that Patrick Vieira will be a manager in Europe and according to Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the current head coach of New York City has the credentials to succeed on the touchline.
Vieira’s name has been thrown around recently in relation to manager vacancies, with the 41-year-old building his coaching resume across the Atlanta Ocean in the MLS.
While Arsenal chose not to appoint Vieira – who had great success with the Gunners as a player from 1996 to 2005 – and have instead gone with Unai Emery, the 41-year-old remains a candidate for the job in Nice.
Wherever Vieira goes, Al Mubarak is confident the former Manchester City star will thrive at the helm of a club.
“I really have a strong belief that Patrick is going to be a great manager,” Al Mubarak said.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak speaks to City TV’s Chris Bailey in the second of his two part Season Review.
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Prior to his tenure with New York City, Vieira began his managerial career with the Manchester City Elite Development Squad in 2013. He led the group of talented youngsters to a Premier League International Cup in 2015 before heading to the United States to take the next step as a coach.
As Vieira has progressed through City Football Group, Al Mubarak has watched him develop.
“I’m very proud of Patrick. I remember the days when he played for us at Manchester City. I respected him as a player very much. We’ve had a great friendship since then,” Al Mubarak said.
“He started coaching at the academy at Manchester, he started coaching our under-19s and really, really developed and evolved. We as an organisation stood by him and supported him. When he was ready to take on the next challenge, New York presented itself, he stepped in and he’s again started his journey into first-team coaching.”
Al Mubarak also feels the Premier League have more work to do in growing the women’s game.
According to the Emirati, the growth of the women’s game should be assessed on three parameters: the football side, the demand from fans and sponsorship.
As far as the fans, Al Mubarak pointed to the 3,000 people that showed up to Academy Stadium to watch the Manchester City Women take on Lyon in the semi-final of the Champions League as proof of there being an appetite for the women’s game.
Now, clubs in the Premier League need to do their part.
“I believe ultimately there is a responsibility that all of us in the Premier League should have jointly in respecting the women’s game, supporting the women’s game and making that competition more competitive,” Al Mubarak said.
