English coaching needs to reset and find its own identity: Gary Neville

A member of Manchester United’s iconic Class of 92’ academy graduates also suggested ways to advance Indian football, emphasising the need to improve coaching methods for youth development.

Gary Neville interacts with young footballers an event at the Minerva Academy in Mohali, India. | Photo Credit: Kamesh Srinivasan

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville, who won eight Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies, has urged the club to regroup and secure positive results following the international break. The Red Devils’ disappointing start to the season has put their Champions League qualification hopes in jeopardy, and Neville believes a reset is crucial to get back on track.

The 49-year-old, a former England international with 85 caps and assistant coach under Roy Hodgson from 2012 to 2016, believes that English coaches should re-evaluate their approach in light of the FA’s decision to appoint German coach Thomas Tuchel as the new England boss.

A member of Manchester United’s iconic Class of 92’ academy graduates also suggested ways to advance Indian football, emphasising the need to improve coaching methods for youth development.

In an exclusive interview with  Sportstar on the sidelines of an event at the Minerva Academy in Mohali, where three aspiring Indian footballers were selected to visit United’s home stadium, attend games and also take part in training sessions with Manchester United Soccer School coaches, the footballer-turned-broadcaster fielded questions on a variety of topics:  

Q: Manchester United, currently 14th in the Premier League table, have suffered three losses in seven games. What are your thoughts on the team’s performance so far this season?

United has conceded eight goals in seven matches, which is not bad at all, but it has only managed to score five, which I think is the real problem at the moment. It has conceded all these goals in three matches (against Brighton, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively), so the defensive side is a little bit better. The problem is going forward, they can’t seem to score goals.

Manchester United should score two or three goals per game, that’s what I think, [and] so does Erik ten Hag, and all the players. So, it has been a really disappointing start to the season, but it needs to improve now. Hopefully, the international break has brought some rest, and they can reset and recalibrate, and we’ll know what happens.  

Obviously, the game against Brentford is really important. If we get a good win under our belt, everybody will feel more confident. So, we must start this post-international break really well. 

Q: How much pressure do you think Erik ten Hag is under to produce results? In your opinion, realistically, what can the team achieve this season?

Manchester United got to aim for the top four this season. We need Champions League football -maybe fifth place would get it for us. It’s still very early in the season, only seven games in. But it has to change now. We need some confidence, we need some performances, and the games come thick and fast now with the Europa League.

I think it’s important that Man United shows that mentality. Now, all the players are fit. You know, everyone is there apart from Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia. 

So, I think there’s a decent squad of players that should be doing a lot better, and they know that. And also they can start showing that right now in the next couple of weeks. We’re starting against Brentford. It’s so important, to win the game.

Q: You have been critical about yet another foreigner’s (Thomas Tuchel) appointment as England head coach. The last English manager to win the top league in England was Howard Wilkinson in 1992. The last British manager to lift the trophy was Alex Ferguson in 2013. Why do you think there’s a lack of top-quality English coaches?

English coaches have struggled for 15- 20 years to establish themselves. English football has struggled and taken the reputation. However, the Premier League is the best in the world. Try to explain that - it’s crazy.

We have access to the best coaches through Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Antonio Conte, and Mauricio Pochettino, among others. Thomas Tuchel was in the league, and all the great coaches we have, but we don’t seem to be able to create our style, our own identity. We tend to copy it, and I would say that English coaching needs to find itself. It needs to reset itself. 

I think Gareth Southgate helped that in the last few tournaments. I think what he did was fantastic. So, we should not be too harsh. However, English coaches haven’t consistently secured major European or Premier League titles at this point, and that’s a problem for us.

Q: In the past, you’ve been vocal about including more English players in the premier league. Why do you think clubs are fielding more and more foreign players?

I was critical a few years ago. I think I’ve relaxed a bit in that regard in the last few years because I think there are more English players coming through, and the percentage is increasing, and academy players are now coming through a lot more. I think clubs are realising the strength and the technical ability of the players in England.

So, English football is on an upward trajectory in terms of producing players. Players with skill and technique, players who can control the ball well, players who’ve got really good abilities. I think we’ve got a fantastic set of players at this moment in time. So, I don’t think I’m as critical as I was maybe five or six years ago when I was thinking that there was a lull in terms of progression, but now I feel a bit more confident about it. 

England’s Jude Bellingham is one of the brightest talents for the country. | Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters

I think the PDL (Professional Development League) program, which is an academic program that was introduced 10 - 12 years ago (in 2012), had a big influence on this shift. I also think the clubs are now very cautious about the sustainability rules with finances, so they recognise they have to produce young players.

I mean, Manchester United has always produced young players thankfully, and that’s been one of its great assets through the last five, six, seven decades. So, I don’t think Manchester United has changed, but a lot of other clubs have changed that maybe didn’t have the same emphasis on youth.

Q: Sir Alex Ferguson once described you as the greatest English right-back of your generation. Who is the greatest English right-back in your opinion, and why?

Oh, I’m not going to say myself. I think that Kyle Walker has been outstanding in these last five or six years, and what he’s achieved with England puts him right up there.

England’s Kyle Walker during training. | Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters

I think Trent Alexander-Arnold should be England’s best-ever right-back if he continues to progress, but he has to progress and he has to establish himself at the International level. So for me, I’m going to say that he’s got the potential to become England’s greatest ever right-back, but I think at this moment in time Kyle Walker probably is, especially with what he has achieved with England in the last few years getting into the finals and the semifinals of major tournaments.

Q: Who do you consider the greatest right-back of all time, and why?

This is a tough one. I love Denis Irwin - to me, he is my favourite player. But [the] greatest right back of all time... we’ve got Cafu. Who else have we got? I’ll go for Cafu. He was phenomenal for Brazil. He was one of the best.

Q: Traditionally, India is not one of the footballing powerhouses despite being one of the biggest markets for the sport. How do you think India can become a football-playing nation, which makes an impact on the world stage, rather than just being a football-watching nation?

It’s hard to play good football at the international level. It takes time. I mean India is quite a young country when it comes to establishing football, and it’s getting more popular, but it has got the ability to put great facilities in place, take cricket for example.

You need to obviously make sure your coaching education program is excellent. The United We Play program is really important. Programs like this give that excellence of coaching to your children who want to play football. 

There are only several ways in which you can get better at football. That’s having good facilities, good coaches and having kids with passion who want to play it. The main thing is creating a competitive environment for them to play. These will lead to a more competitive Indian league system. And in that system, there is investment. There is investment in academies. There are investments in reserve team leagues. 

Gary Neville signs the shirt of one of the youth footballers in the United We Play program. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

So it will take time, and you need patience, but I think India is on the right path. 

With today’s technology, the ability to create digital content is astounding. This means young children can watch coaching programs online and practice the skills they see. For countries like India, this is a game-changer, providing access to world-class training.

Manchester United’s academy coaches are developing programs specifically for Indian kids. These programs offer top-notch coaching techniques and drills. Young Indian players can learn from the best and implement these skills on the pitch. This transfer of knowledge and expertise is crucial in their development.

Q: You have seen a major shift in the way media operates over the years first as a player and then as a broadcaster. The emergence of podcasters and YouTubers has shifted the mould of traditional media. What is your take on this transition of media?

I knew I wanted to go into media, but I didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I have, but every three years, I tried to redefine myself. A few years ago, I started off in the  Overlap (Neville’s YouTube channel) and started doing different programs.

I really enjoy it and love it, and I think that’s where my future lies, but I love doing the games for Sky and Premier League as well. 

I love the YouTube stuff. I love the idea of the authenticity of it. The fact it’s raw, the fact that I can speak my mind, and I don’t have anybody... I don’t have a big corporate over the top of me telling me what to say, I can be what I want to be.

But you know... Sky I love it as well. Um, Because I love watching the games, I love watching the Premier League games, and so I think that my broadcasting career is I still feel quite fresh which is important. I change all the time and adapt and do different things.