Phil Neville named Valencia caretaker manager and Twitter users can't contain themselves
Neville will take charge of Valencia's next match against Barakaldo alongside fellow coach Voro
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Your support makes all the difference.There’s a new boss in town, and his name is Phil Neville.
The former Manchester United, Everton and England defender has been named caretaker manager at La Liga side Valencia along with fellow coach Salvador Gonzalez, following the departure of head coach Nuno on Sunday night.
Nuno informed chairman, Peter Lim, of his decision to leave the club before Valecia’s 1-0 defeat by Sevilla last night, although the announcement was made after the match. Both Neville and Gonzalez – known in Spain as Voro – led training today, and the club soon confirmed that the pair have been put in temporary charge until a replacement can be found.
38-year-old Neville has not managed a club side before, and he only arrived in Spain in July this year after being appointed by Nuno as assistant manager. Prior to the job in Spain, Neville had been working as a first-team coach at United, and his first La Liga game in charge will certainly test his skills as reigning league champions Barcelona face Valencia at the Mestalla.
Unsurprisingly, Twitter users were quickly reacting to the news with comical results.
However, Neville may not be laughing quite as much. With Barcelona up first in La Liga after a Copa del Rey clash with Barakaldo on Wednesday, Valencia then face Lyon in the Champions League, needing a win over the French side while relying on Zenit St-Petersburg to beat Gent in order to send them through to the last-16.
Should a new manager be appointed by club chairman Peter Lim – who has also invested in Salford FC, the club owned by Neville and the rest of the Class of 92 – Neville could well find himself job hunting if Nuno’s replacement wants to bring in his own coaching set-up.
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