Former Arsenal duo Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell have begun the process of completing their UEFA A license at a coaching course based in Newport, South Wales.
Both men were among a new batch of 24 to join the course at Dragon Park last Sunday, in their second meet since starting the process eight weeks ago.
Vieira believes that the course provides the perfect platform to learn after an eye-opening period taking charge of the youth side at Manchester City on a trip to Croatia this summer, embracing the opportunity to work in a different environment.
He told The Guardian: "I'm really open and I want to learn and this is the best place for me to do it. I've experience on the field that will help me to deal with certain situations but I don't have any experience on the bench, how to set up a training session, how to deal with the players, and this is why I'm doing the course.
"I chose a place where I feel comfortable to learn, where there is no egos and where they treat everyone the same. That is what I like, because there are 24 people in the room and we may have 24 different visions.
"There is not only one way to coach. They teach you to be a coach with your personality and who you are and they try to give you tools for you to put your philosophy on the table."
Campbell admitted that he has found the move from playing to the classroom difficult, with the commitment required to take up coaching a challenge he plans to take seriously.
He said: "On the field is where I'm king, where I see things and I'm natural at the things I want to do. I understand the psyche of it, you want to be able to see pictures in training, so that you can give those pictures to someone who can't see it.
"The other side I've got to get used to because I've spent most of my life on the grass, that's been my classroom. I'll be good at the other side but I've got to embrace it more."
Both ex-Gunners will be on the course for around 10 months before a final assessment, with a view to earning the second-highest coaching badge awarded by European football's governing body.
