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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
PA Media and Guardian sport

Phil Neville approached by Inter Miami to leave Team GB plans in doubt

Phil Neville and the England women's team.
Phil Neville could be set to walk away from the chance to coach Team GB in Tokyo, with Inter Miami keen to appoint him as their new manager. Photograph: John Walton/PA

The England Women coach, Phil Neville, has been approached by Inter Miami about the managerial role at the Major League Soccer side.

Inter Miami are co-owned by Neville’s former Manchester United and England teammate David Beckham, who is also his fellow co-owner of League Two side Salford City. The FA was expected to announce this month that Neville would be in charge of Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics later this year, but a move to Inter Miami would in all likelihood scupper that.

Neville’s England spell will come to an end in July at the conclusion of his contract, with the Netherlands coach, Sarina Wiegman, starting work as his successor from September.

It is understood that preliminary discussions between Inter Miami and Neville have already taken place. There has been uncertainty over the position of the current Inter Miami coach, Diego Alonso, who oversaw a 10th-placed finish in the Eastern Conference in their maiden MLS campaign last year.

Neville has been England Women head coach since January 2018 and guided them to the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup in France. An announcement that he was set to leave the job in July 2021 came in April last year, following the decision to postpone the England-hosted European Championship to 2022 as the sporting calendar was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

While Neville said four months ago it remained a “massive ambition” of his to manage a Great Britain team at this summer’s delayed Tokyo Olympics, there has been no official announcement from the FA with regard to who will be in charge. His England team have not played an international since March, when their SheBelieves Cup campaign left them with a record showing just three wins in 11 games stretching back to the World Cup semi-final defeat to the USA.

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