Phil Neville: England Women boss departure confirmed ahead of taking Inter Miami job
The Football Association (FA) has confirmed Phil Neville has left his role as England Women boss ahead of his expected move to take charge at Inter Miami.
The 43-year-old had been due to leave his England role in July, with Netherlands Women head coach Sarina Wiegman due to remain in her current post for this summer’s rearranged Olympic Games in Tokyo, before taking over England in September 2021.
England will now name an interim head coach to lead the Lionesses until Wiegman’s appointment, with a recruitment process already under way following the departure of Neville’s assistant Rehanne Skinner in November.
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Inter Miami, who are part-owned by Neville’s former England team-mate David Beckham, parted company with manager Diego Alonso earlier this month, having already held preliminary discussions with Neville.
Neville was due to lead hosts England into the Women’s European Championships next year but he stepped down after it was confirmed the tournament will be postponed until July 2022.
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To my staff and my @Lionesses you have been amazing now go and win the Euros with Sarina please
Boss x pic.twitter.com/8JI5xtvnWy
In a statement, Neville said: “It has been an honour to manage England and I have enjoyed three of the best years of my career with The FA and the Lionesses.
“The players who wear the England shirt are some of the most talented and dedicated athletes I have ever had the privilege to work with. They have challenged me and improved me as a coach, and I am very grateful to them for the fantastic memories we have shared.
“I’d like to thank The FA for the tremendous backing they have given me, in particular Sue Campbell and my talented support staff whose energy, commitment and enthusiasm has been crucial to helping us make the progress we have.
“I wish England Women every success in the future and look forward to following their journey in the years to come.”
Neville’s departure also means the FA is likely to need a replacement to manage the Team GB women’s football team for the Olympic Games.
The MLS season starts in March and with Team GB having training camps scheduled for the months leading up to the Games, it is highly unlikely Neville would be able to manage both workloads.
In a statement, the FA’s director of women’s football, Baroness Sue Campbell said: “I want to pay tribute to Phil for his significant contribution during his three years with The FA.
“In particular, the commitment, dedication and respect he has shown the position has been clear to see, and I will personally miss our many conversations about ways we can improve and progress.
“After steadying the ship at a challenging period, he helped us to win the SheBelieves Cup for the first time, reach the World Cup semi-finals and qualify for the Olympics. Given his status as a former Manchester United and England player, he did much to raise the profile of our team.
“He has used his platform to champion the women’s game, worked tirelessly to support our effort to promote more female coaches and used his expertise to develop many of our younger players.
“Given the positive ongoing dialogue we have been having with Phil, we will be in a position to provide an update soon on an interim appointment, as well as provide a further update on the coaching situation regarding Team GB.”
Inter finished 10th out of 14 teams in the MLS Eastern Conference last season.
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