Neville reveals coaching ambitions

19 June 2012 15:48

Everton captain Phil Neville believes brother Gary will become a "fantastic" manager in time and is determined to follow him down the coaching path.

Former Manchester United defender Gary, the elder brother at 37, is currently out in Ukraine with England having joined Roy Hodgson's set-up last month. The ex-England international, who holds UEFA A and B coaching licences, has signed a four-year contract with the Football Association.

"Gary will be a fantastic coach and I'm sure one day he will be a fantastic manager," said Phil, who has just completed the first part of his A licence course and is well on course with his coaching plans. "He's got that aura about him and the knowledge, and I think he'll have the respect of the players."

The Toffees defender, who has already had some international coaching experience with England's Under-21 squad for February's UEFA Euro 2013 qualifier against Belgium, has been planning for the end of his playing days for a while now.

"When you get to the age of 30 you think to yourself: 'What am I doing to do when I finish?" the 35-year-old told TheFA.com. "Coaching is something I've always enjoyed. I did my UEFA B Licence and loved it, I got the bug.

"I set my stall out that over the next five years I would plan and prepare to become a coach. I started making notes for different scenarios, and not just for coaching but for travel, discipline and other things."

He attended Wokefield Park in Berkshire earlier this month along with 32 current and former professionals, including ex-England team-mate David James, to begin work on his A licence as part of the continuation of his long-term plan.

"The biggest thing I've learned is that this (coaching) is something I want to do when I've finished my career," added Neville, who is contracted to Everton until 2013.

"I'm fascinated by all aspects of it. I've always been the type, throughout my career, to ask a lot of questions and be interested in the finer details.

"I think that's what coaching is all about: the detail when getting your coaching point across to the players."

Source: PA