Neville tipped for Premier League manager role in another possible Sky Sports blow

Antonio Valencia believes that Gary Neville still has a shot at becoming a Premier League manager in the future. This would put a spanner in the works for Sky Sports, who are set to lose two other popular pundits down the line.

Neville has worked in the dugout previously, first as an assistant to Roy Hodgson with England then at Valencia as head coach. He endured a nightmare time in Spain, joining in December 2015 and lasting just over three months in charge of the La Liga outfit before being sacked the following March.

Despite winning only 10 of his 28 games in charge of Valencia, Neville's former Manchester United team-mate believes he has the skills to succeed in England. The winger insists that the Old Trafford hero just needs "big names" to work with who could handle his leadership skills.

Valencia exclusively told Ladbrokes: "Gary Neville was always very good to me, from when I was a youngster at the club. I could see very early on that he was a great communicator, a leader.

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"I’m very happy for him, and the career he’s had, both on and off the football pitch. It’s great he’s still connected to the game in a big way, and I think he’s one of the best at what he does.

"He obviously had a brief period as a manager, where things didn’t work out for him at Valencia. I think he lacked big names within that squad, and he wasn’t able to bring in the players he’d have wanted, which is why he struggled.

"I would love to see him back in management though, even in the Premier League, because he’s a passionate guy who has a lot to say and give. I think he’d do a great job as a manager now.

Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

"I look back at other teammates, and someone like Nemanja Vidic I would expect to be a great manager. He has a great personality for that kind of role – similar to Wayne Rooney."

A potential return to management for Neville could well spell trouble for his current position at Sky Sports. The former England international is part of a beloved punditry team at the network, which includes Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane and Micah Richards.

Richards has pledged to quit the job by 2034, claiming that the World Cup in Saudi Arabia will be his final major tournament. He told the Daily Telegraph: "I’ll be out of all this by the time I turn 46.

"You won’t see me on any mainstream media beyond the 2034 World Cup. That will be the last time I am on the BBC or Sky or CBS. I’ve told them all this and they think I’m joking. I’m not.

"I’ve given so much of my life to football since leaving school at 14. But when the time comes, I want to make a difference to people’s lives at a grassroots level – to help those who need it most, especially young people."