Talking ’bout my generation

Few would argue that Phil Neville has been one of the most improved players of the past couple of seasons. He has emerged as such an integral part of the Manchester United midfield that England regular Nicky Butt is now considered dispensable.

There were one or two raised eyebrows when Real Madrid were mentioned as a possible destination for Butt during the transfer window. There would have been several more had there been suggestions of Neville moving to the Bernabeu, yet the possibility is not at far-fetched as it might seem.

The coach Neville credits for turning him from a full-back into a holding midfielder, and for imbuing him with the confidence and tactical know-how to perform well in the role, is none other than Carlos Queiroz, presently at Real Madrid. The same coach who sold Claude Makelele to Chelsea, and has not yet found a defensive midfielder to replace him.

There is no doubt some influential judges rate Neville highly as a midfielder, which is why he was just a teeny bit disappointed last week to be called up for England in his old position. Sven-Goran Eriksson, unlike Sir Alex Ferguson, still prefers Butt in midfield.

‘I was a bit surprised to be asked to play full-back again,” Neville says. ‘I’ve hardly played there for two years, apart from the last couple of United games in an emergency. I had it in my mind that I might get to play in midfield for England. Then Gary pulled out, and I realised they might want me at full-back. It was a big test for me really. I was just pleased to make the starting line-up. I might not have done that in midfield.”

Though Neville now regards himself as a midfielder he is willing to be flexible for England, despite the unfair criticism he received when playing out of position at left-back in the last European Championship.

‘Sven is going to need cover for the full-back position,” he explains. ‘The Portugal game could have been a test to see whether I could play at full-back against good wingers at the highest level. He [Eriksson] seems to like versatile players, and I think I did all right. I would like to play for England in midfield, but I think Sven’s starting four at the moment would be Gerrard, Scholes, Butt and Beckham.

”Then you’ve got Frank Lampard, who’s doing unbelievably well. All I can do is keep playing, and try to keep playing well. Sven seems to go for players who are in form, but ideally I’d like the chance to play in midfield for England before the European Championship arrives.”

Butt will be doing his best to deny Neville the opportunity. The two have remained friends despite the rivalry: it is Ferguson who has the headache.

‘It’s a catch-22 situation for me,” the United manager says. ‘Phil Neville has emerged so well this season I cannot possibly batter him over the head by leaving him out. I know Nicky needs more football, especially with the European Championship in mind, but if I picked him I would have a problem with Phil. And he does not deserve that because he has been outstanding. Phil has been one of our best players this season.”

The two players talk about the ups and downs of their situation all the time. ‘Sven has been loyal to Nicky because he has done so well for England in that holding role,” Neville says. ‘This rivalry only came about because I had a bit of luck last season. I got shoved into midfield because we had injuries, and Carlos [then Ferguson’s assistant] took me to one side in training. He told me he thought midfield might be my best position, and I’ve never looked back.

‘I certainly enjoy it more than full-back. You get a lot more freedom. Carlos showed me videos and told me the positions I should take up. It wasn’t easy, but it was an enjoyable challenge. He explained I could be the one to hold the midfield, the one to sit in and pick up the player who drops off from the front.

”He told me I would get plenty of games in that position, and that is how it has worked out. Never for one minute has it affected my relationship with Nicky. It’s probably brought us closer, although we are close any way. We sit together on the bus. He knows the score. There is not room for both of us if Roy Keane is in the team, and obviously he is the first name on the teamsheet.”

The first name on the United teamsheet has just been critical once again of some of the others, in a manner so scathing it must make Gérard Houllier glad he only has disgruntled supporters and former Liverpool players to put up with. Neville agrees with his captain’s openness.

‘That’s Roy for you, he’s just being honest,” he argues. ‘There’s no doubt Arsenal have the upper hand at the moment. They are just not slipping up, and we are. They can go behind and still win, they can play without Thierry Henry and still win. They are setting the pace. Roy knows that, and he’s not happy about it.

‘It is a bit like having two managers sometimes, but at least they are singing from the same hymn sheet. It’s part of the captain’s job to keep people on their toes. It might be we need a little bit of a jolt, because Roy has high standards and he sees there might be problems ahead.”

Neville was substitute when United won the Champions League final in 1999, though he played in earlier rounds. ‘It is probably the competition we most want to win,” he admits. ‘I do, especially, and Roy and Paul Scholes would certainly say the same. We all got medals for 1999, but there’s something missing for those of us who didn’t play in the final.

”When I’ve retired I want to be able to tell my kids I played in a European Cup final. I don’t want to have to say I watched one from the substitutes’ bench then kept getting knocked out in the quarters and semis. If we can’t beat Porto over two legs we wouldn’t deserve to win the European Cup in any case.”

At 27, Neville is younger than most of the other Fergie Fledglings — or the ‘Alan Hansen generation” as the players call themselves — though he is aware he is now a senior professional at the club, and that another new generation is being assembled.

‘The manager is signing players to replace us. You only need to look at the ages and positions of the targets he is going for,” says Neville. ‘He’s got Liam Miller from Celtic, and he is trying to sign the Dutch lad [Arjen Robben]. They all fill the same positions as the class of 1992.

‘We won’t all be stepping down together though. It will be a gradual process. It’s important to give young players time to learn. People like David Bellion and Cristiano Ronaldo are doing that at the moment, they are finding out what it takes to be a United player. I’ve got two years on the Alan Hansen generation anyway, so hopefully I’ll be the last to leave.”

When that happens, Neville will have some time to spend on his other sporting love, the one many judges say might have seen him a fixture in the England team by now. He is still the youngest player — he was 14 at the time — to have played for Lancashire Second XI, and the youngest to have scored a century for them.

‘I’ll definitely play cricket again, but only socially,” he says. ‘I’ve still got a lot of friends at my local team, Green Mount, and I do miss playing, but I don’t regret anything.” —