For a player who mae 386 appearances for Manchester United during the club’s most successful era, Phil Neville’s role is often glossed over.
One of the reasons for this was Phil Neville’s versatility. His ability to play in different positions often meant he did not settle in one role for a sustained period, unlike his brother Gary Neville, who played almost exclusively at right-back throughout his career.
Phil Neville could play on the right or left, or in midfield. One of his finest performance in the centre came alongside Juan Sebastian Veron as United beat Arsenal at Old Trafford in 2002. But it was a fleeting moment, for both players, rather than long-term success.
Phil Neville ended up leaving Manchester United for Everton in 2005, where he helpfully scored an own goal in the Red Devils’ title-clincher in 2007. Many would quip that was his most important contribution for United of all, a little unfairly perhaps.
One player who knew his value was his brother, Gary Neville, who believes Phil’s career could have been even better if not for illness.
Gary Neville on Phil Neville
Gary Neville spoke to Manchester United’s official podcast abut his career, and the topic of his brother came up.
The duo shared a bond, but he made a point to say the whole team felt connected when they were breaking through as members of the Class of ’92, commenting: “Being in the dressing room with him, we were all like brothers really.”
Gary explained his admiration for Phil’s qualities, noting that in the 1996 FA Cup Final, Sir Alex Ferguson opted to start his brother and left him on the bench.
1996 proved to be a pivotal summer for Phil, who suffered illness which set his career and progress back.
Gary explained: “Phil was an unbelievable player in terms of his strength, his power, his pace. And then he got glandular fever.
“People don’t remember this after the 96 final, Phil played in that final. I was sub. He got glandular fever and that really affected him.”
Phil Neville explained how illness set him back
Speaking to the Premier League, Phil Neville explained how frightening his illness was, at such a young stage of his career.
He said: “I got glandular fever when I was 19 or 20, and it was probably one of the scariest moments of my career.
“It’s an illness that attacks your muscles, your weight, your power, your strength, and those are the key ingredients to be a footballer.
“I lost a stone and a half. I lost all my power and my strength and there was a time when I thought that I maybe wasn’t able to come back from it.”
He added that the manager was key to inspiring and helping him back to the first team, when he wondered if he might ever recover at all.
Speaking about Sir Alex Ferguson, he commented: “He had total faith and he had total belief that I could come back from this really, really bad illness.
“He said, ‘We will give you the best care. We will give you the best time in terms of… there is no timeframe for you to get back.’
“I think within those three months, the manager proved his greatness to me.”