Gary Neville has joked that he could have put a stop to punditry partner Jamie Carragher's Sky Sports career before it even began.
Neville and Carragher have formed a hugely popular double act on the broadcaster's Monday Night Football programme ever since 2013, when Liverpool legend Carragher retired and took up a role alongside Neville, who had been with the channel since 2011.
But the Manchester United great says that he could have vetoed Carragher's addition, with his former England teammate also being courted by BT Sport at the time.
"I was in Norway actually, at the time," said Neville when asked to recall Carragher's arrival in an interview filmed before Sky's coverage of Liverpool's 2-1 win over Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday.
"An ex-producer that we know said to me that Jamie Carragher wants to come, it's a fight between BT and Sky... I'm allowed to say that now... and he wants to do Monday Night Football.
"I'd been driving from the very beginning that Monday Night Football should change every two or three years, and I welcomed it.
"I should have stopped it in hindsight! I should have stopped it. I should have put a cross right across it, and I could have done at the time!"
But despite joking that he could have killed Carragher's Sky career there and then, Neville added that bringing freshness to the channel's coverage is key.
"There's no doubt that with the way Monday Night Football was going... it was going alright," he said.
"And I could have said 'no I don't think so' (to Carragher) but I think it should change, it should evolve. I think all programmes should evolve.
"We've got Roy Keane in this season. Jose Mourinho.
"I think it's always good when new pundits join and when new people come in because I think it stimulates the whole programme."
