Vieira: I’m now a better player

PATRICK VIEIRA believes he is a better player now than he was when he left the Premier League four-and-a-half years ago.

Vieira will make his Manchester City debut against Blackburn at Eastlands tonight providing he recovers from the niggling calf injury he picked up in his final game for Inter Milan last week.

The former Arsenal skipper found it difficult enough to impress Jose Mourinho in Italy, so the perceived wisdom is that he will struggle to adjust to life back in England, where the pace tends to be far higher. But Vieira has total faith in his ability. And he actually thinks the immense talent he had when he played under Arsene Wenger has been improved by his exposure to Serie A.