The Frenchman says the former Chelsea boss had a bigger influence on him than the man he spent nine years with at Arsenal, having worked with him at Inter
Patrick Vieira feels that Jose Mourinho was a bigger influence on him as a manager than Arsene Wenger.
The former midfielder spent nine years with the Gunners, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups, before moving to Juventus and then onto Inter where he worked briefly with Mourinho.
While Vieira’s time at San Siro was short-lived, he spent just 18 months in Milan before joining Manchester City, the impact Mourinho made on him was profound.
"[Mourinho] was the one who impressed me most on his work ethic," he told the Times. "He knew everything about the opposition, the strength, weakness.
"His detail was unbelievable - everything was so clear about what he wanted from each player. I don’t know what happened at Chelsea but he always got the best out of his players."
When asked which manager he would chose to lead his dream team, Vieira also had no doubt: "Jose. He’s the manager who had more influence on me.
"Arsene is more concentrated on his own team — he gives freedom to players to express themselves. It’s a different style."
The 39-year-old was appointed head coach at New York City FC back in November and says he has never been approached by Arsenal about working at the Emirates.
"I’ve never been contacted by anyone to manage or get involved with the club," he explained. "I was expecting something from them, but it didn’t come. It didn’t kill me.
"He [Wenger] is a busy man. I didn’t speak to him in quite a long time."
- Goal