Gary Neville says he couldn't turn down Valencia job

Posted Friday, December 04, 2015 by skysports.com

Gary Neville says he would have lost some credibility if he hadn't taken the Valencia job.

Neville was officially unveiled as the new manager of the La Liga side at a media conference at the Mestalla on Thursday afternoon.

He confirmed that his brother Phil, who has been a joint caretaker boss at Valencia prior to his appointment, will remain on the coaching staff at the club.

And he admits the time has come for him to prove himself as a manager after "sitting on TV talking about coaches".

Neville poses during his presentation

"I've been offered jobs in football over the last four or five years but the timing has not been right," he said. "I wanted time to learn after coming out of football. But when I received the call on Sunday, I thought what an opportunity and what a challenge.

"Sitting on TV talking about coaches these last few years, the time has come for me to stand up. This is a wonderful football club. If I turned down this opportunity, I would have lost some credibility.

"Spanish is going to be my biggest challenge, but I have to immerse myself. I will take lessons every day - but I can't find a teacher to get up at 6am."

And he added: "I'm incredibly excited to be here. I understand the huge responsibilities I've been given.

"I know the passion and intimidation from the fans from playing here in the past and I want to harness that in the coming months."

Neville, who spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson after accepting the role, feels he will have to quickly assess the squad he has inherited because he does not have the benefit of a pre-season period working with the players.

"I'm very aware of the traditions at Valencia - I came up against some fantastic wingers in my time as a player," he said. "My responsibility is to appraise the players as quickly as possible and pick the best system that allows us to win straight away.

"We don't have a pre-season. It's important to pick the right team to win matches, irrespective of style."

Neville added he has been "offered jobs in football over the last four or five years but the timing has not been right".

And he insists he will treat the job at Valencia as a long-term project, even though he is only contracted until the end of the current campaign.

"The only way to approach it is as a permanent job, even though the contract is only until June," he said. "Every decision I make will not be a short-term decision. I don't believe in working that way.

"We will appoint people from within the club, I don't want to bring over an army of coaches. I want stability at the club.

Neville looks on during his presentation at the Mestalla

"My family will move over to Valencia. I always wanted at my club for foreign players to show commitment to the city and to the culture, and it's important I show that level of commitment."

Neville added he is "disgusted" with the idea of talking about signing players in the January transfer window.

He said: "The idea of a coach or a player talking about anyone else other than the players at the club disgusts me.

"I want to work with the players in the dressing room. Those players deserve the opportunity, they are wearing the badge and wear it with pride I'm sure.

"We have young players, it's easy to make decisions too soon on young players but I'm very patient."