Forward-thinking Neville on the edge
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Gary Neville believes leaving Manchester United is football’s equivalent of ‘falling off a cliff.’
As the former England international ponders his long-term future, the 34-year-old admits that he does not know if he will remain in football beyond the end of his playing career with The Red Devils.
That may be sooner rather than later, with injuries and the emergence of Rafael da Silva pushing Neville closer to what he would call the precipice.
The defender has had plenty of opportunity to earn the mandatory coaching qualifications but does not know if he will pursue a career in management.
Speaking to the Big Issue in the North, Neville said: "Part of me says I'd like to stay involved in the game, but another says I should do something else.
"It would nice to be able to take on a different challenge. I'd like to think I could do something else other than football, but the reality is that's what I've done since I was 16.
"I am doing my coaching badges, but whether anyone will want me as a coach or a manager I don't know.
"I don't know, even now so close to the end of my career, what will happen. But leaving Manchester United, in football terms, is like falling off the end of a cliff.
"I just hope there's something that I find exciting and can enjoy, and in which I retain the ambition to achieve something.”