Manchester United legend Gary Neville has revealed his deep-seated admiration for a Premier League club that he played against during his time under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Gary Neville rose through the ranks of the Manchester United youth academy in the 1990s and went on to become a key first-team player under Sir Alex Ferguson.
One of the famed ‘Class of ‘92’ members, the 49-year-old former United right-back spent his entire career at Old Trafford and enjoyed incredible success at the club.
Neville lifted eight Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, three FA Cups and three League Cups during his illustrious spell with United.
The former United defender even became an important locker-room figure for Ferguson towards the end of his playing career at club level.
Neville, who succeeded Roy Keane as United captain, would call it time on his playing career in 2011 after he bowed out of Old Trafford as a player.
Neville on his Man Utd spell
Gary Neville made a whopping 598 appearances during his time in the Manchester United first team before entering coaching and punditry.
The ex-England international was part of the Three Lions’ coaching staff for a time and later endured a disastrous managerial spell with Spanish side Valencia.
Speaking on The Overlap, Neville opened up about his United legacy and was thrilled that he could call himself a one-club man after his spell with the Red Devils.
“I admire the lads that left in a way and how they speak different languages and played in different leagues,” he said.
“But I never wanted to leave. I’m so proud to say I played for Manchester United and that’s it. Full stop.
“I remember when I was 30 I decided I would retire if United didn’t offer me a new contract. Leaving United at that age never seemed to go well.”
Neville admires Man Utd rivals
Man Utd legend has ‘massive respect’ for one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s biggest rivals, there is a ‘resemblance’ to the Red Devils
Neville was a key part of the Sir Alex Ferguson teams that saw former manager Arsene Wenger and Arsenal try to end United’s dominance in English football.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher asked Neville about the one club he would have signed for if he could, with the United legend picking none other than Arsenal.
Neville insisted that he loved the “proper tradition” of Arsenal and admitted that he saw a certain “resemblance” with United when it came to the “blazers and tradition.”
Responding to Jamie Carragher’s question, he said: “I’m going to say Arsenal.
“Arsenal were the club that I genuinely had massive respect for. When I went to Highbury and you used to walk in that old entrance with the marble hall, I used to think it’s a club of proper tradition.
“I used to love the blazers that they used to wear and there is a resemblance in alignment for what United were at that time with the blazers and tradition.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/Qv1DtfU