Gary Neville reveals how close he came to becoming England manager after Roy Hodgson | OneFootball

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Gary Neville has revealed he was being lined up to replace replace Roy Hodgson as England manager before his disastrous spell in charge of Valencia.

Neville was part of Hodgson’s backroom staff when he was in charge of the Three Lions from 2012 to 2016.

During that time, Neville was hired by Valencia to be their head coach in December 2015 and he took that job while continuing to work with England.

The former Manchester United defender endured a nightmare spell in charge of the Spanish club and he was sacked just months later following three wins in 16 league games.

Neville has not managed since, but he has revealed how before his time at Valencia the Football Association were lining him up to succeed Hodgson.

“I’ve never said this publicly, but I remember getting the Valencia job in December, and Dan Ashworth rang me and said this was the perfect move for me to be on that next step for when Roy Hodgson decided he wanted to leave the England job, for me to take over,” Neville told the Stick to Football podcast.

“I always remember that phone call and him saying this was the perfect opportunity, but I look back now, and it was right that I failed in the job because I didn’t put the work in.

Neville worked under Roy Hodgson when he was in charge of England between 2012 and 2016

Getty

“With how my work ethic is now, I needed to fail to have that slap in the face moment, for me to get back to it, which is where I am now.

“I took the Valencia job purely because I knew the owner and I felt like I owed him something and I was loyal to him, he believed in me in terms of the business.

“I’ve been asked by Middlesbrough for an interview, Newcastle and Derby asked to speak to me, all in the previous three years I had been on Sky, and I said no to every offer because it wasn’t what I wanted to be.

“I had started my businesses and my media career, so I didn’t want to be a coach and I had said no to Newcastle, which came from someone at Sky who had a contact at Newcastle as they wanted to speak to me, which was the same with Middlesbrough, and I’m not saying that would have got me the job but it could have.”