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Phil Neville has described Nobby Stiles as a “giant of the game.”

And in a heart-felt tribute, he added: “Nobby took care of me the way I would want my own son to be treated”.

Stiles, part of the Manchester United team that claimed the European Cup two years after helping England win the 1966 World Cup, died on Friday at the age of 78 after a long illness.

As a coach, the former midfielder worked with the famed ‘Class of 92’ at United, which included Neville, his brother Gary, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes.

Stiles’ rile at the time included taking Neville’s first session with the club,when he was aged just 10.

Neville said: “I remember my dad being in awe of him.

“He could not believe I was being coached by this legend, this World Cup and European Cup winner.

“Nobby was amazing – probably the nicest, most-decent human being who ever coached me.

“You never would have known he was this giant of the game, a hero of English football’s finest hour, because he never talked about it.

“Or, indeed, winning the European Cup for the club.

“His focus was on us, our futures, not his past.

“That group of young players, that Class of ’92, were taught how to be United players by Nobby.

“He instilled values that stayed with all of us, I think, not just throughout our careers as players, but in all aspects of our lives. “Nobby was such a caring man.

“I remember my first game away from home. It was in Anglesey, and I was terrified.

“I’d never been away from home without my mum and dad before, and it felt like a million miles away.

“But Nobby looked after me all day, and gave me the Man-of-the-match award.

“He took care of me the way I would want my own son to be treated.”

Neville said Stiles “meant so much to all of us”, and the England Women boss added: “As Gary (Neville) said, he taught us how to fight for everything in that red shirt.

“We will always be grateful to Nobby for that.”

Stiles’ former United team-mate Willie Morgan has also paid tribute to “a lovely guy” and “great player”.

Morgan, who played for United from 1968 to 1975, said: “He was better to play alongside than against!

“I came across him before I joined United, and he was fierce on the pitch.

“I was very apprehensive when I joined up at Old Trafford.

“I remember saying to the gaffer (Sir Matt Busby): ‘I’m not so sure about Nobby Stiles’, when I was signing.

“He said: ‘ You’ll like him’, and when I met him, he was just lovely.

“I can’t tell you how beautiful a person. He was a lovely guy.

“He was a great player. He wasn’t just a hard man. Nobby could play as well.

“When he got the ball, he passed it to his own team-mates – it was either Bobby (Charlton) or Paddy (Crerand) that he normally passed to – and started the move off. “He was the engine room.” Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson said: “You could argue Nobby changed my footballing life.”

Referring to his time at Preston, Lawrenson said: “We used to play reserve team. We’d all be 17, 18, and he was the reserve-team player-coach.

“He’d play with us, which was fab in itself.

“We were 4-0 down at halftime, and I was rank, playing on the left wing.

“At half-time, he said: ‘Mark,