Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira has joined the exodus from disgraced Italian champions, following their relegation to Serie B. Vieira was only in Turin for one season after he was transferred from Arsenal after nine years.

He had been linked with moves to both Barcelona and Manchester United, but elected to stay in Italy. With the fee reported to be a paltry £6.5m only two thirds of the price Juve paid 12 months ago. Vieira would have been a more direct replacement for Roy Keane and a snip at only one third the price that United paid for the services of Michael Carrick, who was given Keane’s old shirt number when he was officially unveiled as a Manchester United player.

Many have said that Ferguson paid over the odds for Carrick, £18m for a player who has never played in Europe and struggles to get in to his national side. Especially compared to Vieira who has a wealth of Champions League experience and has had unparalleled success at international level, and he is a true ball winner a real replacement for Roy Keane.