Philip Neville

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Philip John Neville (born January 21, 1977 in Bury, Greater Manchester) is an English football player, who has spent most of his professional career at Manchester United, the team he joined as a youngster, but now plays for Everton. He is younger brother of Manchester United captain Gary Neville, and the twin of England netball international Tracey Neville. A versatile player, Phil can play in defence or midfield. He is often played as a left back (despite being right-footed) though it is genuinely unclear where his strongest position on the pitch is. He usually plays a holding midfield role for Everton. Neville is married with two children.

[edit] Club career

Neville started training with the Manchester United academy along with his brother and then later joined as a trainee with Manchester United and made his debut in 1994. From that point he was a regular, although not consistent, member of the first team and seemed destined to spend his whole career there. Like his brother, arguably to a greater extent, he is much maligned by some football fans. To be sure, some seasoned observers of the game see a mature, versatile and unfussy player who proved an important part of Manchester United's success. Nevertheless, when Neville won his 50th England cap in 2004, former Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough, in his monthly Four Four Two column, bemoaned the apparent state of the English game that such an "average" performer could achieve this milestone. As of December 2005 his tally had risen to 52 caps (20 of the appearances as a substitute).

On August 4, 2005 Phil joined Everton on a 5-year contract for a fee in excess of £3.5 million. He made his debut in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Villarreal CF of Spain, coming face-to-face with his former Manchester United colleague Diego Forlan. The following weekend, Phil made his FA Premier League debut for the Toffeemen. Fittingly, it was against Manchester United. The match marked the first time Phil and brother Gary had faced off for opposing teams.

Phil's attitude, work-rate and willingness to play anywhere has seen him become one of David Moyes' favourites. On August 8 Neville was announced as vice captain with Weir keeping the captain position.^[1] Though in the opening matches of the 2006-2007 Premiership season, Weir was benched and Phil was starting captain.

Recently Phil commented in the press about his first ever red cards of a long career where he never received any playing for Manchester United, claiming that he would perhaps not have been booked in a game Vs Fulham if playing for United. However, many see Phil as a dirty player and this was proved when he finished with more cards than any other Premier League player in 2005/2006 (including another red soon after his first).[1]. In fact, even whilst at Manchester United (and thus gaining preferential treatment from referees as Neville himself suggests) he still managed to get booked many times, such as in 2002-2003 when he got far more cards than any other United player in all competitions, despite only starting 35 games.[2]

[edit] International career

Phil has also regularly been picked for England squads, making his debut as a 19-year-old against China in 1996. He was only briefly a regular first-choice player for the side, as a left back in 2000 under Kevin Keegan's management. In recent times he has struggled to make the squad with youngsters such as Wayne Bridge being preferred as backup to Ashley Cole. He has, nonetheless, once briefly captained the side in a friendly match.

Phil's England career included the honour of being the youngest member of Terry Venables' squad for Euro 96, though he never kicked a ball (his brother played in every match until the semi-finals); he was one of the players omitted at the last minute by Glenn Hoddle when he was selecting his final 22 for the 1998 World Cup. It is known that Hoddle's decision left Phil in tears, though media attention was almost entirely devoted to the exclusion of another player, Paul Gascoigne. Phil revealed in an interview that Gascoigne, not known for his maturity, took the younger Neville brother under his wing and consoled him.

Keegan played Phil at left back in Euro 2000; Many people hold Phil responsible for England's early exit from the competition, committing a needless foul which led to a late penalty for Romania which they scored to win the match and eliminate England.

Neither of the Neville brothers went to the 2002 World Cup - Phil was left out, while Gary was injured. Both were back in the squad for Euro 2004.

Phil was again not included in Sven-Göran Eriksson's squad for the World Cup 2006. However, he was drafted into Eriksson's stand-by group of players after Nigel Reo-Coker withdrew through injury.[3] Phil remained in the England squad with new England manager Steve McClaren and started at right back against Andorra. Phil and his brother Gary are the only remaining players on the England squad from Euro 96.

[edit] Trivia

• Phil shares the same birthday with former United teammate Nicky Butt, although Butt is two years older than Neville.

[edit] Other

Phil was also an excellent cricketer in his youth and a contemporary in Lancashire's Under-19 side of England's star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff. It is said that he was good enough to have been a professional cricketer if football had not claimed him. One of Phil's former coaches called him the greatest schoolboy cricketer he'd ever known.^{[citation needed]} His father, the wonderfully named Neville Neville, was a well-known league cricketer in Lancashire.

[edit] External links

• TheFA.com profile

	England squad - Euro 2000
1 Seaman | 2 G. Neville | 3 P. Neville | 4 Campbell | 5 Adams | 6 Keown | 7 Beckham | 8 Scholes | 9 Shearer | 10 Owen | 11 McManaman | 12 Southgate | 13 Martyn | 14 Ince | 15 Barry | 16 Gerrard | 17 Wise | 18 Barmby | 19 Heskey | 20 Phillips | 21 Fowler | 22 Wright | Coach: Keegan

	England squad - Euro 2004 Quarter finalists
1 James | 2 G. Neville | 3 A. Cole | 4 Gerrard | 5 Terry | 6 Campbell | 7 Beckham | 8 Scholes | 9 Rooney | 10 Owen | 11 Lampard | 12 Bridge | 13 Robinson | 14 P. Neville | 15 King | 16 Carragher | 17 Butt | 18 Hargreaves | 19 J. Cole | 20 Dyer | 21 Heskey | 22 Walker | 23 Vassell | Coach: Eriksson