Gary Neville says he would leave out both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney from Manchester United's starting XI.

In a talk at the Oxford Union, the former United defender said he would play Marcus Rashford up front, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial both starting in wide positions.

Neville went for David De Gea in goal, a back four of Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Daley Blind, and a midfield trio of Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick.

Discussing his own future, the former Valencia coach said: "I don't think I will go back into management. But what I learnt in Valencia was how crucial the relationship with the players is. The language barrier was huge at Valencia. I couldn't communicate without a translator, but I don't think I could have done more."

The 41-year-old also spoke about his former manager at United, Sir Alex Ferguson, saying that tough times were inevitable after the Scot's departure in 2013.

Neville made his United debut in 1992 and went on to play 602 games for the club under Ferguson before retiring in 2011.

"United floundering was always going to happen after Ferguson," Neville said. "The control over the club and the aura he had about him left a void.

"Fergie was given time and the opportunity to grow and stabilise the club when he came. United [today] keep chasing immediate success. Fergie's press conferences always felt like more of a message to his players than to the media. You would buy into what he said."

Speaking about United's style, Neville referred back to his education as a member of the "Class of '92," and added: "The fundamentals of the United style of play, developing youth, wing play, etc, should never change. It's part of our identity. When I see Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard on the pitch, it makes me feel proud that United is true to itself and its principles."

Neville also said that La Liga is the best league in the world, although the Premier League is "the most exciting, the most watched, the best branded."

The former England assistant manager added that the Three Lions fail at major tournaments because they are "simply not good enough," and believes grassroots football needs to improve.

Discussing his work as a pundit, Neville said that his biggest challenge was proving that he could speak "honestly and openly" about clubs aside from United.

He admitted that, as a player, he could not control his emotions against Manchester City and Liverpool, adding: "If we scored a late winner, I did stupid things, like kissing Scholesy [Paul Scholes]."

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Arindam Rej

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