Neville: I won’t be a football manager

Gary Neville has revealed that he does not see his long-term future in football management. Valencia might have wished he’d told them that five weeks ago.

Saturday marked the end of Neville’s first month in charge, and he is yet to win a league game. Valencia also tumbled out of the Champions League in his first match in charge.

Neville has been discussed as a future manager of both Manchester United and England, but has poured cold water on those rumours.

“I’m not going to say where I want to end up, and it isn’t in management or head coaching, so I want to be clear about that,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“That’s not my ultimate goal of where I want to be. From my point of view, I was really enjoying what I was doing, I really was, the multiple things I had on, even though I knew it was coming to a point where I had to make decisions at the end of this season.

“This came at the right time, because it has allowed me to think: ‘OK, four, five years out of football, I’ve experienced a lot in the different facets of football.’

“Whether media, broadcasting, head coach, assistant manager with England, being a part-owner of a football club and seeing it from that side, and the other business stuff I do.

“I’ve always wanted to experience as many things as possible. But it was getting to that point where I need to come away from everything and concentrate on certain things.”

One wonders whether Neville’s stance would be different had he won every game in charge at Valencia?