Patrick Vieira praises 'complete' Yaya Toure and makes managerial prediction

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira is confident that former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has all the qualities needed to become a successful boss in the future.

Following his retirement in 2020, Toure made the decision to go down the coaching route. Despite enjoying a successful career with the Blues where he managed to accumulate 316 appearances for the club, the 39-year-old has opted against moving back to the Etihad to begin his coaching career.

After short stints at Olimpik Donetsk and Akhmat Grozny as assistant manager, Toure became the manager of Tottenham Hotspur's youth team in August 2022. Speaking to William Hill at the 2023 FWA Tribute Award which honoured the Ivorian, Vieira spoke highly of his time playing alongside the midfielder at City.

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He explained: "I played against him and with him. I remember him as a shy person off the field and a really strong character and personality on the field.

"I remember him when he came and spent a couple of days at Arsenal, and I remember him when he was at Manchester City. He was an exceptional midfield player, he could do everything – scoring goals, defending on the transition. He was a complete midfielder. He could score more goals than me.

"He had the engine to change gear, to get inside the box and he was such a powerful player, but at the same time tactically he was really good and at understanding the game really well. That’s why he was at Barcelona as well and did really well there.

"He transcended club rivalries because he was the type of player that fans loved to watch, the type of profile that fans would pay to watch. He could score goals from anywhere and he had this quality to make an impact on a game. He was a