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Former England International Phil Neville has announced his retirement from football, bringing an end to his 19-year playing career. The former Manchester United player had announced in April that he would be leaving Everton at the end of the season, but has now confirmed that he will not be adding to his 505 Premier League appearances.
“Three weeks ago, everyone in the world seemed to be retiring. I thought ‘I’m not jumping on this bandwagon’. I just wanted it to be a smooth, quiet turnover. I didn’t want that.
“When I made a statement that I was leaving Everton, everywhere I went I seemed to be getting ‘oh you’ve been brilliant’. I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to be seen as an attention-seeker.
“In my heart, I knew that I wouldn’t be playing again – at any level. I just wanted to drift away.”
Even though he has confirmed that he will be working as a pundit for BBC during the 2014 World Cup, Neville expressed a strong desire to get into coaching and is in process of finishing his UEFA A license. The 36-year-old has been working as a coach with the England U-21 squad at the ongoing European U-21 championship in Israel.
“I will be going to the World Cup next year with the BBC – I won’t be going as a player – I do enjoy the media side but I want to work, I want to coach, I want to get more hours on the grass.
“I have got two paths – one to go into the media, the other to go into coaching and management. I have got offers from both. I will sit down at the end of the tournament.”
Neville believes that working under Ferguson has helped him with his coaching license.
“He gave us a great lesson when we were doing my B licence, with Roy Keane, Gary, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs,” he said.
“When you are a footballer at Manchester United, you are probably looking for a bit of a short-cut or can we get someone in to do the sessions for us, sign it off, and he gave us not a rollicking, but said ‘no fast track to coaching or management’.
We were thinking: ‘We are Manchester United. We know everything.’ He said: ‘Actually, you don’t. There’s no short cut to being a manager or coach.’ He sowed the seed early on in our coaching career.”
Neville is being strongly tipped to join former Everton boss David Moyes at Manchester United.
Phil Neville’s illustrious career
