Man City's big spending days are over

The Blues have splashed out huge fees on players in recent years, following the arrival of Sheikh Mansour in 2008, bringing in numerous top stars for in excess £400million in fees.

Vieira took up his role as Football Development Executive at the Etihad following his retirement from the game and has been instrumental in planning the new Manchester City Football Academy, due for completion in 2014.

And the former Arsenal star has told talkSPORT that Roberto Mancini’s side will be focussing on creating their own world-class names, rather than buying them in, once the centre is finished.

“In the past we spent money because we wanted to build a successful team quickly,” he told Keys and Gray. “When you want to bring in big-name players you have to spend money.

“Now we have a really young team and in football there are always cycles. I believe Manchester City are now starting a cycle that will give us time to start working with youth team players.

“The football academy is important when you believe in youth development. If you want to be one of the best clubs in the world, you have to give young talent a chance.”