Neville reveals his England nightmare

FORMER United defender Phil Neville hopes none of Gareth Southgate’s squad will be made a scapegoat should things not go to plan at the World Cup.

It has been a largely positive build-up to the tournament so far, with a relaxed atmosphere in and around the England camp.

That solidarity will be put to the test when Gareth Southgate’s men open their World Cup campaign against Tunisia in Volgograd on Monday night.

Neville recalled the fallout after Euro 2000 when his poor tackle gave away a late penalty against Romania in the final group game – and the subsequent defeat sent the Three Lions home.

“I got home and the next six months were probably the most difficult of my career. There was an England flag on my gates on fire. There were England fans outside my gates regularly shouting abuse,” Neville said. “It was a difficult moment, not just for me but for my mum, my dad, my wife, my kids. They really suffered, probably more than me.

“When I went back to pre-season training (with Manchester United), we went to Shrewsbury for a pre-season game and I got absolutely slaughtered by English fans.

“There’s a scapegoat in every tournament from an England player and you have to hope there won’t be one this tournament.

“When you’re in the England dressing room, you’re probably not as close to the players as at club level and they probably don’t know what to say to you.

“I remember Sir Alex (Ferguson) ringing the next morning saying ‘get back to your club, we’ll look after you’.”