Gary Neville insisted after Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Real Madrid he wants to continue as Valencia manager beyond the end of the season when his contract expires, having previously said management is not his long-term goal. Speaking after his team had come back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to draw 2-2 with Real Madrid, Neville said that he wants to continue at the club that he joined last month on a six month contract.
Neville had made no commitment to continue before and had hinted that this was a temporary post, repeatedly referring to his role at the Spanish club as a short-term one and leading most in Valencia to believe that he would walk away in the summer. On Sunday in an interview with Sky Sports, he said: “I’m not going to say where I want to end up, and it isn’t in management or head coaching, so I want to be clear about that.”
But last night he said for the first time he intends to carry on at Mestalla, if given the opportunity. “I was talking about 15 or 20 years’ time! I don’t want to be just a coach for six months. I hope I am here beyond six months but I have to prove myself.”
Valencia have won just once in six games, against third-tier Barakaldo in the Copa del Rey, but there are clear signs of improvement and this game will go some way to proving that the manager can bring about improvement, even if the task of returning to the Champions League, the club’s target, remains a huge one – they are 13 points off fourth place.
Neville described the draw against Real as a fantastic performance, the best from his team since he took over. He was also quick to praise his players, insisting: “The best thing is they are all young and they are so talented it’s untrue, they really are. There are some fantastic players in the changing room.”
It is a rather different story for Rafa Benítez, whose position remains in doubt. Before the game he was asked if he felt a defeat would cost him his post. Afterwards, he was asked if the draw might do so, as they had passed up another opportunity to close the gap on Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, he said: “That’s if we only look at the result; this performance deserves more praise than criticism.” “We played a great game. We saw a great team that with ten players stood up to be counted and until the end had a chance to win.”
“I can’t avoid people speculating [about my future]. But I can make sure that the team works the way it did today.”
