Nev can put us on top of the world
CASEY STONEY reckons Phil Neville can bring the World Cup home.
The former Manchester United and Everton player made a brilliant start to his reign as England women’s manager on Thursday with a 4-1 thumping of France at the SheBelieves Cup. More of the same today against Germany in New Jersey would be the stuff of dreams.
But former skipper Stoney, who won 130 caps, has already been blown away with Neville’s fresh approach. Stoney retired last month and was instantly appointed as one of Nev’s assistants.
She is adamant he was the right choice to replace the sacked Mark Sampson and said:“He is technical and tactical on the pitch and that is what we were craving. “There is a missing link. Mark was fantastic but there was a missing link in that area.” Neville’s appointment was met by a backlash from critics uneasy with a man with no experience in women’s football landing the top job. A couple of sexist tweets from several years earlier fuelled that reaction. But Stoney (left) added: “When I read the criticism, I think there were a lot of uninformed opinions. “I never had doubts, not for one second. “Why? It came from speaking to him, from hearing his vision, seeing his drive, seeing his passion and his capacity for wanting to learn. “He wants to get to know every single player.” Neville has already suffered one blow. Anita Asante, the Chelsea defender who made her first England appearance since 2015 against France after being axed by Sampson, has flown home with a long-term knee injury. Germany v England Today, 8pm, BBC Red Button