Phil Neville has stated that he was always set to leave the England Women’s team at the end of his three years in charge - citing it as a stepping stone into club football.
Neville took charge of the Lionesses in 2018 and it has already been announced that he will depart in 2021.
The 43-year-old had originally intended to lead the team to the 2020 Olympics and Women’s European Championships the following year.
However, the competitions were subsequently delayed 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic, meaning he will not be in charge when the Euros go ahead in 2021.
And Neville, who has come in for criticism over the side’s performances - with regards whether they have reached the levels expected - elected to step away rather than seek an extension.
"My plan was always just to go for the three years and then get into day-to-day running of a club job, which would be what I wanted to do,” he told Bein Sports.
“It’s been brilliant and I’ve loved every minute of it, but ultimately you don’t get to see the players. You don’t get to impact them every single day, which is now what I feel I need to do.
“The plan was always to do the three years. I had a World Cup, I had the Olympics — which [would have been] this summer — and then there’s the Euros in England next summer. That was my three-year stint at international football.
"I think international football for a 41, 42-year-old can get quite frustrating, so I thought, get some managerial experience, which is unbelievable in terms of going to major tournaments, and then cut my teeth in day-to-day running with the energy that I’ve got.
“With the coronavirus, there has obviously been no Olympic Games, no Euros — which meant that obviously I had to make the decision early.”
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