Knowing Gary Neville the pundit, the football player and now, the manager, we would be absolutely dumbfounded if he doesn’t have the ambition become Manchester United manager sooner rather than later.
While he has been a little more restrained than Paul Scholes in his criticism of Manchester United under Louis van Gaal, he clearly doesn’t resonate with the current style in the same way as he did with that of Sir Fergie.
Neville has always aimed for the sky – he was widely regarded as getting to the top of the football ladder through hard work and application rather than god-given talent.
Indeed, Lee Sharpe once said of Neville:
“Practising long throws: Gary Neville’s idea of fun.”
And Neville will surely want to carve out an elite career in management as he did as a player.
That will undoubtedly include an attempt to bring entertaining football back to Manchester United.
When questioned about his longer-term ambitions this week, he said:
“We all have dreams but the only way to get there is to focus on one moment at a time.”
And The BBC were quick to suggest that Neville’s progress will be closely monitored by the top brass at Manchester United:
Manchester United will be keeping a close eye on Gary Neville’s progress during his time as manager of Valencia.
There is no sense United boss Louis van Gaal is under threat despite criticism of United’s tactics and the possibility of an early Champions League exit.
But senior Old Trafford figures are starting to turn their attentions to finding a successor to the 64-year-old Dutchman, whose deal expires in 2017.
Ryan Giggs is seen, by many, as a Guardiola-esque successor to LvG – a true lover of the beautiful game.
But we feel that he may lack the ruthlessness to take on such a big job so early in his managerial career – it could ruin him.
Surely the better bet would be to install a power share of Giggs and Scholes with Neville at the helm, while Nicky Butt and Phil Neville bring on the oranges and massage tired thighs at half-time – now that’s what soccersweep.com calls a managerial dream team.
Manchester United fans: who would be your ideal next manager at Old Trafford?
