Former Manchester United defender joined Roy Hodgson's coaching staff after taking up a role as a TV pundit last year and insists he will prove doubters wrong by making both work
Gary Neville says he can combine his new role as a part of Roy Hodgson's coaching staff with his existing job as a television pundit.The 37-year-old has impressed many and enhanced his reputation with his television analysis on Premier League coverage following his retirement from playing.
However, questions have been asked whether he has the time to combine both roles and if some of his on-air comments will have offended some of the players he is now working with.
"If I had gone straight into a football job I don't think I would be sat here," he told Sky Sports News. "I have seen more football - and different varieties of it - than ever. Different teams, different atmospheres, different systems."
"I played for Manchester United for 19 years, and apart from once watching my brother at Everton, every football match I attended during that time involved them. It was a conscious decision to stand back from it."
The ex-England international says he consulted his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson after being offered the job with the England team.
"I went to see him on the Saturday morning before United played Sunderland," Neville added. "I had already made my mind up but I wanted him to be one of the first people I told. I was panicking, as you do walking into his office, but, as per usual, he already knew. It is typical really. He was very positive about it. He felt the role that Roy was speaking about would be very good for me."Follow GOAL.COM USA on
