Phil Neville has left his role as England Women head coach with immediate effect, it has been confirmed.
The former England and Manchester United defender was set to depart following the Olympic Games in the summer with Netherlands coach Sarina Wiegman already agreeing to take over.
Neville is instead now set to take over as boss at David Beckham's Inter Miami in Major League Soccer imminently leaving the Football Association to now find someone to put in interim charge.
“It has been an honour to manage England and I have enjoyed three of the best years of my career with The FA and the Lionesses," he said in a statement.
“The players who wear the England shirt are some of the most talented and dedicated athletes I have ever had the privilege to work with. They have challenged me and improved me as a coach, and I am very grateful to them for the fantastic memories we have shared.
“I’d like to thank The FA for the tremendous backing they have given me, in particular Sue Campbell and my talented support staff whose energy, commitment and enthusiasm has been crucial to helping us make the progress we have. I wish England Women every success in the future and look forward to following their journey in the years to come.”
FA Director of Women’s Football, Baroness Sue Campbell added: “I want to pay tribute to Phil for his significant contribution during his three years with The FA. In particular, the commitment, dedication and respect he has shown the position has been clear to see, and I will personally miss our many conversations about ways we can improve and progress.
“After steadying the ship at a challenging period, he helped us to win the SheBelieves Cup for the first time, reach the World Cup semi-finals and qualify for the Olympics. Given his status as a former Manchester United and England player, he did much to raise the profile of our team. He has used his platform to champion the women’s game, worked tirelessly to support our effort to promote more female coaches and used his expertise to develop many of our younger players.
“Given the positive ongoing dialogue we have been having with Phil, we will be in a position to provide an update soon on an interim appointment, as well as provide a further update on the coaching situation regarding Team GB.”
It remains to be seen what the FA do in terms of somebody managing a Great Britain team at the Olympics, a job Neville had been in line for, with Chelsea boss Emma Hayes and Manchester United manager Casey Stoney linked with the role.
