Gary Neville Explains How Cluelessness on the Touchline Cost Him Valencia Job in 2016

• Retired defender Gary Neville had a forgettable stint as manager of La Liga club Valencia
• Neville was sacked after 28 games with the La Liga club after winning just three matches
• The ex-Man United player admitted he did not have a clue what he was doing at Valencia

Gary Neville has opened up about his disastrous stint as Valencia manager, admitting he ‘had no idea what was going on’.

The former Manchester United defender lasted less than four months with the La Liga club, winning just three of his 16 league games in charge.

His ill-fated spell with the La Liga club included a humbling 7-0 defeat at the hands of Barcelona, with a 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo proving to be the final nail in the coffin for Neville, who was sacked after 28 games in charge.

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Eight years since the sack, Neville, who has a UEFA Pro Licence, has opened up about what it was like managing in the Spanish top flight.

According to the former Manchester United defender, he suffered from an inferiority complex while managing at Los Che since he was in a league that had experienced tacticians like Diego Simeone and Ernesto Valverde.

“After a couple months into the job at Valencia, I remember looking at myself in the mirror one morning and thinking that I looked ill,” Neville said in the Stick to Football Podcast.

He added, “I remember we played three times against Athletic Bilbao, and Ernesto Valverde was the coach – he played a different system that I thought he would and then he changed during the game, and I remember thinking that I was nowhere near that level.”

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According to Neville, he struggled to watch and read the game from the touchline, which he felt was much different from the gantry, which he is used to.

"You put yourself on the touchline and you're watching a game where all you can see is legs, and how you think of the game tactically or how managers spot things, I have no idea because I remember thinking that I had no idea what was going on."

When Neville snubbed Luis Enrique

One controversial moment during Neville’s La Liga stint was when he snubbed the handshake of Luis Enrique, the Barcelona coach at the time, after the 7-0 humbling.

According to GOAL, pundit revealed he received messages from managers afterwards, telling him he did not belong in La Liga.

However, Neville recalls one manager who improved his situation in the Spanish top flight: former Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez.

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What does Gary Neville do?

Gary Neville has since put the Valencia disappointment behind him and now mainly works as a pundit and commentator.

He also has a robust business portfolio across several fields, including property, hospitality, education, media, and sports.

He also co-owns League Two side Salford City alongside some of his ‘Class of 92’ teammates.

One little-known venture by Neville is the Sir Ralph Abercromby pub, which is quite popular in Manchester.

The retired defender has an estimated net worth of £19.6 million, according to Manchester Evening News.

Liverpool urged to offload Salah

In other news, Liverpool have been urged to do away with Mohamed Salah after the Egyptian’s public spat with Jurgen Klopp.

As Sports Brief reported, former Crystal Palace chairman, Simon Jordan, claims the Liverpool forward is not as good as people rate him to be after accusing him of disappearing in big games.

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Since signing for Liverpool from Roma in 2017, Salah has been one of the most crucial players for the Reds, scoring 210 goals in 346 games, which makes him the club’s third-highest goal scorer.

However, his recent clash with Klopp has raised questions over the Egyptian’s future with the club although the Reds are adamant he will remain at Anfield next season.