OLD BOYS CLUB
► Vieira latest Premier League winner to enter dugout
Tony Adams
Vieira’s former teammate at Arsenal, Adams retired after 19 years at Highbury and went into management with lower-league Wycombe Wanderers. He was appointed as Harry Redknapp’s assistant at Portsmouth in 2006 and when Redknapp left in October 2008 he was handed the caretake role, alongside Joe Jordan, then as full-time boss. Adams was sacked after 16 games the following February.
Remi Garde
Another former teammate of Vieira at Arsenal, Garde was appointed Aston Villa boss in November 2015 with the side bottom of the table. The Frenchman lasted five months at Villa Park and left with the club where he found them, rooted to the foot of the table.
Steve Bruce
The current Newcastle United boss won the very first Premier League with Manchester United and has gone on to manage several clubs in the top flight, bringing up Birmingham City in 2001. He has also been boss of Wigan Athletic, Hull City and Aston Villa.
Tim Sherwood
A title winner with Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95, Sherwood took over at Spurs in December 2013 until the following May. He later took control at Aston Villa, taking them to the FA Cup final and keeping them in the Premier League. He was sacked in October 2015.
Freddie Ljungberg
Another of Vieira’s Arsenal title-winning teammates, the Swede took over at their former club following the departure of Unai Emery in November 2019. He recorded one win, three draws and two defeats as Emirates boss before Mikel Arteta took charge.
Bryan Robson
One more member of Manchester United’s first titlewinning side, Robson was player-manager at Middlesbrough during their mid-90s heyday. He would later manage former club West Bromwich Albion in the Premier
League, leaving in September 2006, after taking them down to the Championship.
Roy Keane
A seven-time Premier League winner – and a longtime rival of Vieira on the pitch – during his time at Manchester United, Keane moved into management with Championship side Sunderland in 2006 and taking them up to the top flight in his first season. Sunderland would stay up but Keane would leave at the start of the next season with the team 18th.
Alan Shearer
The England striker won only one league title with Blackburn Rovers but remains the Premier League’s record scorer. He had a brief stint in charge of former club Newcastle United but was unable to keep the struggling side in the Premier League in the 2008-09 season.
Frank Lampard
A serial winner with Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, Lampard would go on to fill that same dugout at the start of last season. Despite some positive signs, Lampard would be let go for Thomas Tuchel with the German going on to win the Champions League.
Ryan Giggs
The winner of more Premier League titles than any other player, Giggs spent all of his playing days at Manchester United and began his coaching career at Old Trafford too. He was a player-coach under David Moyes and then took over as caretaker when the Scotsman was sacked, handing himself a final appearance as a Man United player in 2014.
Mark Hughes
The Welsh striker won the league with Manchester United before moving to Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and Blackburn Rovers. It was at the last club that he started off as manager, with his Premier League managerial CV listing Rovers, Manchester City, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City and Southampton.
Ole Gunnar Solskaer
The only other current Premier League boss aside from Bruce and Vieira to have won the title as a player, Solskjaer came in to Old Trafford as a short-term replacement for the departed Mourinho and was given the job full time after impressive results. There have been doubts over the Norwegian before and since but he was handed the job and delivered UEFA Champions League football in his first full season and finished second to runaway winners Manchester City last season.
Paul Ince
Yet another former Manchester United title winner to have gone on to manage and he made history as the first black British manager in the Premier League when he joined Blackburn ahead of the 2008-09 season. He lasted just six months.
Mike Phelan
One more for the list of Manchester United titlre winners to go on to manage in the Premier League, Phelan – who is now Solskjaer’s assistant at Old Trafford – took charge of Hull City following the resignation of his former teammate Steve Bruce in 2016. He started off strongly, winning the Premier League Manager of the Month award that August. It would not last as he was sacked the following January.