Given the trajectory of Patrick Vieira’s managerial career, there may have been a point where a move to Crystal Palace would have been seen as a step backwards.
The former Arsenal skipper built strongly on his early learning at Manchester City’s academy, where he led the club’s Elite Development Squad, before joining another branch of the City Group to begin his journey in the professional game.
Improvements year on year at New York City FC turned heads back in Europe, and Nice provided an opportunity to return to France, a move which initially appeared an astute one.