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as a player that he needed counselling with a psychologist.

He had been one of United’s 1999 Treble winners only months before but two high-profile mistakes against Vasco da Gama in the inaugural Club World Cup in Brazil the following season sent him spiralling into a worrying tailspin of form.

So he can appreciate what Romelu Lukaku is going through and insists the Belgium striker just has to play himself through his eight-game scoring drought.

“Lukaku is just having a dip, not a slump, and taking him out could make it worse,” said Neville.

“He’s one of Jose’s favourite players and the top players tend to play their way out of those dips. I lost my confidence for six months after that Vasco da Gama game when I made the mistakes that led to their first two goals. “I’d then ended the season at Euro 2000 where I didn’t play well and Phil made that tackle that gave away the penalty for Romania’s winner. “The song, ‘If the Nevilles can play for England so can I’ came out and Phil had effigies outside his house. “What helped me was that I had five weeks off in the summer. “I actually saw a psychologist at that time and he gave me an unbelievable bit of advice. “He said, ‘Imagine working 25 years of your life to be a football player, feeling really confident and then allowing someone who’s never met you before, someone who’s never coached you, say something to make you feel that you can’t play football well. How daft is that?’

“And Sir Alex gave me a bit of advice when I got nervous before a big game.

“There was a time I played three or four games against Liverpool and I made a few mistakes.

“I remember him saying to me, ‘What are you going to do when you get home?’ And I said, ‘I always have a Chinese when I get home after a game, boss’ and the lads started laughing.

“He said, ‘If we win today, what are you going to do? I replied, ‘Have a Chinese’. He said, ‘If we draw or lose today?’ I replied, ‘Have a Chinese’.

“Alex said, ‘So it doesn’t really matter then does it?’

“A coping mechanism for me was if I ever got nervous, I thought in three hours I’ll be having my Chinese, come what may. That’s a great way of bringing some perspective and reality.” NEVILLE was at the Manchester launch of Ben Thornley’s autobiography: The Class of 92 Star Who Never Got To Graduate.

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