WHATSAPP HAS NEVILLE ON MESSAGE

PHIL NEVILLE has revealed the extreme lengths he has gone to keep in touch with his England players ahead of the game that will define his early reign. England’s women face Wales in Newport tonight knowing that a victory will see them knock their hosts off the top of Group 1 and secure automatic qualification for next summer’s World Cup in France. The reverse fixture, staged at Southampton in April, ended in a 0-0 draw. Neville (right), who took on the role of leading England’s women in January, knows there is an expectation on him to deliver results with an expansive style of play but has had a limited amount of time with his squad. Preparations for this game only started on Monday when the squad met at St George’s Park, but in order to keep in regular contact Neville has set up 30 individual WhatsApp messaging groups that include him, a player and members of his backroom team. Neville said: ‘The biggest challenge I’ve got is when I’m not in camp, we spend 3-4 weeks planning and I said to my staff it’s painful. I speak with my players every single day. It’s not me texting them, they are texting me and we’ve got this culture up and running. ‘The WhatsApp groups are the only way we can get contact with them — we are in constant contact. Sometimes it’s about life itself for me to know every facet of my players’ lives. You have to build relationships with your players.’ This game is likely to have an edge, even though Wales head coach Jayne Ludlow insists it is not ‘a grudge match’. England, though, are ready for what is thrown at them and defender Lucy Bronze believes Neville’s commitment to communication has helped team spirit. ‘Everyone feels really appreciated that he cares about you and that you are needed in the team,’ said Bronze. ‘He lets us know we are going to help this team be successful and we have a good relationship with him.’ TV: LIVE on BBC2 from 7.30pm.