Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira is full of praise for Leicester City first-team coach Kolo Toure ahead of their Premier League clash at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Vieira and Toure played together at Arsenal, and they were part of the Invincibles that won the Premier League title in the 2003-04 season.
After leaving Arsene Wenger's team, both players were united again at Manchester City before they started their coaching careers.
Sunday’s encounter will see Vieira and Toure battle in the dugout and the Frenchman is looking forward to the encounter as Crystal Palace chase their second league win of the season.
“I am in contact with Kolo because obviously, we spent a couple of years together at Arsenal,” Vieira said in the press conference, via Football London.
“We have a really good relationship he is somebody that I really admire. He was a top football player but a really good human being as well. I am still in touch with him, we've spoken a couple of times together.
“He's been following me through my coaching badges and coaching career and I was doing the same with him. We are in touch. We are quite close together.”
When asked if Toure can take up the mantle to manage a team in the future, Vieira said: "Yeah, I strongly believe that he has the ability, the potential to go into a managing career.
“I spoke to him and he's really pleased being with Brendan Rodgers. I think it's difficult to find a better place to learn with the way that he [Rodgers] is managing and the way that he wants his team to play.
“He is really happy over there and I hope that he will one day have a chance to show what he's capable to do at this level as a manager.”
The former Ivory Coast international followed Brendan Rodgers to Leicester City in 2019 after he worked as a technical assistant to the Northern Irish manager at Celtic for two years.