Yaya Toure joins coaching staff at Olimpik Donetsk

"I started my professional career in Donetsk – now I am here to start my coaching path," Toure said on the club's website.

"Of course I know that Olimpik is not Metalurh, but I remember well how friendly and open the people of Donetsk were. I am very impressed by the local people.

"To be honest, even my agent was surprised when he found out I wanted to learn to coach in Ukraine, but I was firm in my decision.

"It is not so easy to find a place where (you) can calmly, without unnecessary pressure, study, and where you will be accepted as a friend."

Toure will join the staff of head coach Igor Klimovsky and said he wanted to both learn and pass on his own experiences.

"I am confident I can be useful for the Olimpik players, as a professional and a friend," he said. "To suggest something, share your knowledge and vision of football."

Toure, who won three Premier League titles with City and LaLiga twice while at Barcelona, finished his playing career with a spell at Qingdao Huanghai in the Chinese Super League, leaving the club in January last year.