Former Manchester United star Gary Neville was recently appointed by Spanish side Valencia as their next managerial hope. But with a club struggling for form and fans already concerned that their beloved Los Che side has lost much of its identity, thanks to the arrival of their new owner Singaporean investor Peter Lim, it’s going to be quite an uphill challenge for Neville but it’s a challenge that he’s more than capable of taking on.
During his playing days Neville was one of the stars at Old Trafford at the heart of their endless stream of cup wins both domestically and in European competitions. Neville spent his entire career with Man United and during this time he helped them pick up 8 Premier League titles in his 19 year stint at the club. He’s seen it all and has even gained invaluable managerial experience thanks to his time as assistant manager with the England squad.
Valencia is currently languishing down in the 8th spot in the La Liga having only been victorious on 5 occasions so far this season and the club’s Champions League campaign is now over. Nuno Espírito Santo quit the role as manager at the end of November following an away loss to Sevilla and Neville was quickly announced as his successor.
Since 2011 Neville had been enjoying a stint in football punditry on Sky Sports in which he commentated on a number of high profile games. He was a popular figure on the network often creating an entertaining double act with Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher. Now he must turn his attentions to his new club and help drag them back to form as they look to land that all so crucial top 4 finish this season.
With confidence at an all -time low, Gary Neville has his work cut out for him and Valencia are hoping that his vast experience will help bring the best out of the players and bring the team together once more. For his first game in charge it was a home match against Lyon but unfortunately it ended in a 0-2 defeat and has already left fans questioning whether he will be successful. Critics claimed that Valencia’s play was lacking any dominance over the visiting side and never really showed any cutting edge.
It’s still early days for the new manager but he will need to inject some changes to the team very soon in order to keep the already wavering support and respect from fans from shaking even further.