The 39-year-old defender enjoyed two stints at the Premier League club, from 2011-2014 and 2016-2019, and now he knows the end of his playing days are close, he’s dreaming of a move into management and admitted he will be thinking “big” with his ambitions.

Asked if he could see himself managing in the Premier League in the future, David – who also spent two years at Arsenal - told FourFourTwo magazine: “I want to coach at the top. To coach the best, you have to prepare yourself to be among the best.

“If one day I get the opportunity to coach, especially at the clubs I played for or in the best leagues in the world, that’s where I’ll want to be.

“In any job, you always have to think big.

“I want to manage the best teams in the world, and I’m going to work for that.”

Last August, the Brazilian signed for Cypriot club Pafos, and he admitted it was a deliberate step for his future coaching career.

He said: “They’d been speaking to me for a long time. It’s a difficult league and we got into the Champions League…

“It’s also part of the preparation for what comes after my playing career; being a manager, earning my UEFA licences, being in a place where there’s more calm so I can organise all that – especially with two daughters now.

“I’ve got one more year on my contract, then another year to talk about whether I’ve still got legs and love being on the pitch.

“It’s growing more and more in my heart that I want to become a coach.

“I coached a futsal team in Paris and I’ve got one out here in Cyprus too.

“In amateur football, you see a real love for the game.

“Taking people who don’t have the skill level and helping transform them, then they’re scoring goals and celebrating, I love that."