Roy Hodgson has urged Gary Neville to choose coaching over television punditry, saying he considers the former Manchester United defender a possible future England manager.
Since retiring from playing Neville has combined jobs as a Sky pundit, where he has been lauded for redefining the role, with his post as Hodgson’s No2. Hodgson, who appointed Neville to his coaching staff shortly after getting the job in May 2012, has never had an issue with the dual role but Neville said recently he would not be able to go on doing both jobs and knew he had a “decision to make in the next 18 months” about his future.
That would take him to the end of Sky’s current Premier League deal and Euro 2016 with England, when his four-year contract with the Football Association is up. Hodgson’s contract likewise runs until the end of the tournament. Hodgson said Neville would be a loss to English football if he chose punditry over management, though he joked that he would feel differently if he was a Sky executive. “He has never actually said to me about a cut-off point. But we talk a lot about what he wants to do because we are together a lot. I think he is going to become a very fine coach and a very fine manager also,” said Hodgson.
“If you’re asking me would I like to see Gary Neville in coaching or management then, yes, I would. It is up to the FA to decide what his value to England is in the future. He is a very good coach now and he will become an even better coach with experience.”
Hodgson suggested that management would prove more fulfilling for Neville, who holds Uefa A and B licences, than staying in punditry. “From a selfish point of view I personally would see him being more valuable to me as a football lover than as a pundit. Punditry is not that difficult if you know a bit about football. You don’t win and lose in punditry. You are just watching a game and giving your opinions.”
Turning to his own future, Hodgson said he was making no predictions about what might happen after Euro 2016 in France. Recalling that he was due to take an executive role at Internazionale and slip into “semi-retirement” before agreeing to take the reins at Fulham in 2007, Hodgson said he felt he could continue beyond the end of his two-year contract.
“We’ll see. At the moment I feel good and I hope that will continue for a few more years. I prefer to let the future take care of itself and see what develops from there,” said Hodgson, who is 67. “When the day comes I will know what the right time is and I’ll do it but I have an important job to do.”
Despite a disastrous World Cup finals in Brazil, Hodgson retained the backing of the FA chairman, Greg Dyke, and has responded with a positive start to the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
Hodgson refused to be drawn into a row about how the Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge might be handled if he returns to the international fold for next month’s qualifier against Lithuania. Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, last year criticised England’s handling of Sturridge’s injury problems but the England manager said: “I didn’t realise that my relationship with Liverpool had ever been soured. It didn’t bother me and I hadn’t given it a thought to be honest.”
He said England’s medical staff would liaise with Liverpool over Sturridge and that he would be excited to welcome him back to the squad “as long as he is playing well”. I haven’t picked the squad yet. I have a few weeks to do that. But I have always said that Daniel is a player who has the talent we are looking for and I am delighted he doesn’t have muscle problems any more and we have the chance to bring him back.”
With Harry Kane and Danny Ings likely to be added to the squad and Theo Walcott, Raheem Sterling, Danny Welbeck and the captain, Wayne Rooney, all likely to be in contention for starting places up front, Hodgson said it was possible he would again experiment with a front three as he had in the 2-0 win against Switzerland.
