Vieira issues quit threat to Mourinho

PATRICK VIEIRA has warned Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho that he will leave the San Siro unless he is given more time on the pitch, as he fears for his place in France’s World Cup squad.

The former Arsenal legend, 33, has found his starting opportunities increasingly limited this season, having made the starting XI only three times in Serie A, and appearing just once from the substitutes bench in the UEFA Champions League.

Having joined Inter from Juventus in 2006, the French star has been employed largely as a bit part player, with Mourinho favouring the likes of Esteban Cambiasso, Wesley Sneijder and Sulley Muntari in his midfield.

And Vieira is now smarting having lost his spot in the France squad on account of a lack of first-team football, something he knows he must address if he is to have any hope of playing in another World Cup in South Africa 2010,

“If nothing changes then yes (I will leave),” he revealed.

The midfield powerhouse was linked with a return to the Premier League in the summer but doubts have been raised over whether he could still handle the frenetic pace of the Premier League given that he is not the box-to-box all-action midfielder he once was.