Gary Neville almost said no to Monday Night Football and was frightened on debut

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Gary Neville is gearing up for his first Monday Night Football appearance of the new Premier League season – a show he almost said no to back in 2011.

The Manchester United legend has become one of English football's most loved pundits over the past decade, providing insightful and intriguing analysis since joining Sky Sports following the end of his playing career.

He has also struck up an unlikely partnership with former arch-nemesis Jamie Carragher after the Liverpool icon transitioned into television himself a year later.

The pair are due to appear on the opening Monday Night Football of the 2021/22 campaign when West Ham take on Leicester in the final Premier League outing of this week's round of fixtures.

Neville is one half of the best punditry duo in the country, but back in May 2020 the ex-England right-back revealed he had serious doubts about replacing sacked predecessors Richard Keys and Andy Gray.

"People were very doubtful about 'Mr. Manchester United' being able to come on to Sky Sports and be neutral and be fair to all the other different teams that I've obviously disliked over the years… There was a wave of opinion and doubt against me", he said on Sky Sports' Off Script.

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"I originally planned to come in and support [Keys and Gray] along with the other pundits; Jamie Redknapp, Graeme Souness and others.

"But when they left, there was a void at Sky in respect of presentation and punditry and it was partway through that summer [2011] that Andy Melvin and Barney Francis – the head of Sky Sports and deputy head of Sky Sports – called me into their office and said they wanted me to do Monday Night Football."

When asked about his initial reaction to being offered the role, Neville admitted: "I said, 'no'.

"It wasn't sensible. Richard and Andy had such a huge impact on that show, it was their show [MNF] and it was almost like coming in and following Sir Alex Ferguson… almost doomed!

"I felt like others should do it and I should have a year to make my name in punditry."

He then added: "They sent one of the MNF analysis screens to my house about three weeks before the start of the season and I had a couple of weeks with it. But I had huge doubts and didn't really want to do it."

Neville got his Monday Night Football career underway when Manchester City took on Swansea in August 2011, working alongside host Ed Chamberlain in the Sky studio.

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Chamberlain lifted the lid on his early shows with the United hero in an appearance on Newcastle Fans TV earlier this year, revealing he was "crapping it" before they went on air.

"We were in it together, we were so tight, and I thought [Neville] was the calmest man on earth," the former presenter said.

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"And then basically when you get that in your ear, 'two minutes you're on air', I'm absolutely shaking like a leaf, I'm terrified, I look across at Gary and say, 'Gary how are you feeling?'

"And he basically said, 'I'm absolutely crapping myself. I'm more nervous now than I was in the tunnel at Wembley '96."

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