Shaun Derry joined Saïd Aïgoun, Osian Roberts and Kristian Wilson as the latest member of Patrick Vieira’s backroom staff thanks to his knowledge and expertise of the club.
“I really wanted to have somebody who knows the club up and down and Shaun’s been here for quite a long time as a player and as a coach,” Vieira explained.
“He knows the players from the Academy as well. Nobody will talk about the club as well as Shaun so to have him as part of my staff is something that I’m looking forward to and it’s been great to have him next to me.”
Derry led the Crystal Palace Under-23s to promotion from the Premier League 2 Division 2 last season, and will now play a critical role in supporting the first-team as they prepare to face Chelsea in what Vieira describes as “a challenging game.”
“They won the Champions League, they started by winning the Super Cup, but we’re looking forward to it. You have to play these sorts of teams, the Premier League is really competitive, there are some strong teams and we have to play them.