Phil Neville has left his position as England’s women’s manager after three years joining David Beckham’s MLS side Inter Miami.
Neville was due to leave the Lionesses in July when his contract ran out with Netherlands women manager Sarina Wiegman appointed future Lionesses boss in August of last year.
Neville’s earlier than scheduled departure means that the FA will have to now find an interim manager for the Olympics in Tokyo, which was planned to be Neville’s final tournament as Lionesses coach, with Wiegman only taking the role after the Olympics.
Hege Riise, a previous World Cup and European Championship as a player with Norway is one the front runners in the race and according to Sky Sports is set to become interim manager.
Riise was nominated for the FIFA Women’s Best Coach Award last year, an award which was in fact won by future Lioness boss Wiegman for the second time.
Wiegman’s winning the award last year, giving an acceptance speech via Zoom
Neville’s move to Inter Miami will see the teams co-owner Beckham working with his ex-teammate, with Beckham saying, “We share a footballing DNA having been trained by some of the best leaders in the game, and it’s those values that I have always wanted running through our club.”
“Anyone who has played or worked with Phil knows he is a natural leader, and I believe now is the right time for him to join.“
Neville said, “I am incredibly delighted for this opportunity to coach Inter Miami and to work with Chris and the entire ownership group.
“This is a very young club with a lot of promise and upside, and I am committed to challenging myself, my players and everyone around me to grow and build a competitive soccer culture we can all be proud of.“
The 43 year-old took to Twitter to express his gratitude for the opportunity and his well wishes to the players.
Neville has had a very mixed time as Lionesses boss winning England’s first SheBelieves Cup in 2019 drawing with the formidable USA in the process, as well as managing a fourth place finish at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
However since the end of the World Cup, Neville has lost seven out of the last eleven games as England manager, the Lionesses also have not played a game since March due to the pandemic.
His record as boss was worse than his predecessor Mark Sampson with a win percentage of just 54%, Sampson’s at 64% with England now dropping down to sixth in the world rankings compared to third when Neville joined.
In a BBC written column former Lionesses star Alex Scott said, “We didn’t see Phil Neville’s philosophy adapt” and “There were more questions after every game than answers.”
Wiegman has previously won award in 2017 after guiding Netherlands to winning a European Championship in the same year winning their first ever major trophy. Wiegman also led the Dutch team into the final of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, making it further than Neville’s side.
