Neville: Guardiola has advised me to manage a club

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England women’s manager Phil Neville says Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola has advised him to return to coaching in club football.

Neville will leave his role with the Lionesses in the summer of 2021 after three and a half years in the job.

He told the 606 Savage Social podcast: “I spoke to Pep and he was passionate about how I had all this energy and needed to be in day-to-day football.

“Great managers can influence you, and I thought he was right.”

Ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has won 30 trophies as a manager, including league titles in Spain, Germany and England, as well as two Champions Leagues at Barca.

Neville, a former Manchester United, Everton and England defender, was appointed as Lionesses manager in January 2018.

He led them to a first SheBelieves Cup success and a fourth-place finish at the World Cup in 2019, but they have lost seven of 11 matches since last year’s quarter-final win over Norway.

“As good as international football is, there is that period when you give players back to their clubs and you do not have any influence,” added the 43-year-old.

“There is a big 12 months left with the Lionesses and then, hopefully, I will get the opportunity to manage a club in any country.”

Neville had been set to lead Great Britain’s side at this summer’s Olympics, before taking control of the Lionesses at the Women’s Euros on home soil in 2021.

But Tokyo 2020 has been moved to next summer, while the Women Euros will now take place in July 2022.

Neville has previously held men’s coaching roles at Manchester United, England Under-21s and under brother Gary at Spanish side Valencia.

Asked which brother is the superior coach, Neville said his twin sister Tracey, who led England to a first netball gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, was the best.

“She is a brilliant manager,” he said. “She ripped up the whole England programme and redesigned it. She got rid of the older players and built a young team that was hungry and could take on the world.”

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