Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira on his life in the USA and his dream of managing Manchester City

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On a plane about 35,000 feet above America, World Cup, European Championship and three-time Premier League and Serie A winner Patrick Vieira reclines in his seat.

The Arsenal and France legend, recognisable to millions, is wearing the tracksuit of New York City FC, the MLS team he has chosen to start what he describes as a 'fairytale' journey that ends as Manchester City manager.

As his thoughts turn to the forthcoming match, a passenger sat next to Vieira's 6ft 4in frame in economy class on the packed commercial flight leans over.

The NYCFC team Patrick Vieira inherited finished 17th overall and well outside the play-offs

'Are you some kind of coach or sports player?' he asks. Welcome to Vieira's new world.

This is a far cry from the private charter flights the 40–year-old was used to in a glittering career that took him from Arsenal to Juventus and Inter before hanging his boots up at City. 

Indeed, on a trip to Canada there is another reminder of football's place on the North American sports landscape.

'We got to the airport and had to wait an hour-and-a-half to go through customs,' Vieira explains with a smile. 

'We're not used to that in Europe. I don't see City, Arsenal or United waiting an hour and a half at customs.

'I was stood next to (midfielder) Andrea Pirlo and we were laughing about it. But the players don't complain, they do it. It's just a case of getting used to it.'

Arsenal legend Vieira poses for the Sportsmail camera in Manchester on Thursday

The New York team he inherited finished 17th overall and well outside the play-offs in an inaugural season last year which saw head coach Jason Kreis fired.

When the Frenchman, who had been coaching City's academy side, arrived he immediately began to make changes. 

'Last year when they travelled they'd wear their own gear — jeans, T-shirt, whatever,' he explains. 

'It looked like a school field trip. So now we travel all wearing tracksuits looking like a team.'

The differences are all around. On the touchline for televised matches Vieira has to wear a microphone for one half of the game. 

The 40-year-old former midfielder Vieira continues to keep a close eye on English football 

Media-friendly MLS rules also dictate that journalists must be allowed into the locker rooms 15 minutes after the final whistle. 

Before matches, Vieira has to sit down for 15 minutes with the commentators and tell them how he is going to set up his team to try to win the game.

How does he think Jose Mourinho or Sir Alex Ferguson would react to that? 'I would love to see that happen,' he laughs. 

'But you work together. There's a trust between the journalists and the coaches. I've done it and not had any issues or problems.'

Before MLS matches, manager Vieira has to sit down for 15 minutes with the commentators

The low point of his debut season came with a 7-0 thrashing by New York Red Bulls in front of his own fans at Yankee Stadium. 

But rather than launch into his players, Vieira took the blame.

'We went to the West Coast to play Portland and then we went to play Toronto on the Wednesday and then on the Saturday we played the Red Bulls,' he says.

'One of the issues is the travelling and I didn't manage that week particularly well regarding the rotation I made. 

The low point of his debut season came with a 7-0 thrashing by New York Red Bulls

'That was a real learning process for me — the distances, the flying, the time differences, the players I took.' 

Away from the win-at-all-costs pressure cooker of Europe, that has seen many of his generation go one and done in the dugout, there is an opportunity to develop.

‘I needed a few days (to think about it),’ Vieira admits. ‘It’s going to the other side of the world and I didn’t know much about it. 

'I knew going there I needed the right support and people who knew who I was to help me to develop myself. 

'Having (group services managing director) Brian (Marwood) here, going to work with (NYCFC football director) Claudio (Reyna), knowing I had that support, ideas, the way I wanted to play, was massively important.

'You have to choose the right club with the right people. That can have an impact when things aren’t going the right way – especially when you lose 7-0!

‘The coaching experience and the mistakes you make…I would not be allowed to do if I was managing a Premier League team because you don’t have time.' 

And yet that 7-0 defeat was a turning point. While the defence remained leaky, 23 goals from Spain legend David Villa along with Frank Lampard's impact propelled New York City to fourth place and the play-offs.

Vieira has spent most of this week on the training field, watching Pep Guardiola operate

More lessons have been learned this week back in Manchester. Vieira has spent most of it on the training field, watching Pep Guardiola, whose job he may one day hold himself.

'I have been watching Pep's training just to look at him, how he conducts himself, his ideas, how he gets his message across — how clear he is on details that he wants from the players,' he explains.

'The responsibility for the players — knowing what they have to do but at the same time giving them a bit of freedom to express themselves. His principles of the game. 

'I will take lots of things with me. Even the details about how things change at the training ground, how players look after themselves, what they are eating, it is all important.'

Roy Keane and Vieira come to blows during an Arsenal vs Manchester United match in 1999

Vieira keeps a close eye on English football. Does he bemoan the lack of a tough-tackling midfield warrior? A Vieira? A Roy Keane?

His assessment is scathing. 'Players maybe now want to look more pretty than anything else,' he says. 

'I feel disappointed when I watch games now because too many players think of themselves. That's how it has changed. 

'There are still good players, maybe better than we were, but they are looking too much at themselves.'

Vieira spends time with ex-France team-mate Youri Djorkaeff (No 6), a Big Apple resident

From Manchester, Vieira will head to Seville to study the coaching of much-lauded former Chile boss Jorge Sampaoli.

Vieira and his wife Cheryl live in Manhattan, close to Central Park, where he often takes his little girl Na'ima. 

He spends time with former France team-mate Youri Djorkaeff, a fellow Big Apple resident, and seems at ease.

However, if things go according to plan can he see himself back in Manchester for a much longer stay?

Vieira (left) puts his arm around Pablo Maffeo as he chats to Yaya Toure in Manchester

'This is the fairytale story,' Vieira says. 'It doesn't often happen like that. I don't look further than next year because in our world anything can happen. 

'I am really pleased that people in this club think one day I can manage here. That makes me proud but at the same time we never know what's going to happen.

'I am happy to be part of the group because I love the people. They have given me the opportunity to do something I wasn't sure I was capable of. 

'Maybe tomorrow, two, three years I will have an opportunity somewhere else. If that happens we will sit down and talk about it.' 

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (centre left) shares a joke with Vieira