Gary Neville came through at Manchester United in the early 1990s (Picture: YouTube)
Gary Neville has revealed Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel told him he ‘wasn’t good enough’ and would ’cause problems’ for the team before he established himself at Old Trafford.
Neville is regarded as one of United’s best ever defenders, having made more than 600 appearances for the club across his impressive 19-year career.
The ex-England star is one of the most decorated players in history with eight Premier League titles to his name, as well as three FA Cups, three League Cups and two Champions Leagues.
But it was not always clear that Neville would develop into a United great, with Schmeichel viewing his emergence as a ‘problem’ and a ‘risk’ for the team.
‘I was always vocal on the pitch, I’d give loads of information to my centre-back and right winger, I’d never shut up on the pitch,’ Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
‘But in terms of standing up to people, [Peter] Schmeichel was brutal to me in the early days in training. He told me one Christmas do, that he thought I was a risk.
‘He said that Paul Parker was an amazing defender with a great back four, and that I was the first person to break into that back four and he saw me as a risk, thinking that I wouldn’t be good enough and would cause problems.
Neville eventually won Peter Schmeichel over (Picture: Getty)
‘This was in 1998, he told me, three years after I’d broke in. Roy [Keane] was like that, [Paul] Ince was like that, the boss [Sir Alex Ferguson] was like that, it was almost like an initiation.’
In the early stages of his professional career, Neville ‘felt like he didn’t belong’ in the Manchester United team and was ‘overwhelmed’ to share a dressing room with the likes of Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes and Roy Keane.
‘The first team dressing room I went into had [Gary] Pallister, [Steve] Bruce, [Eric] Cantona, [Mark] Hughes, [Paul] Ince, Roy [Keane],’ he said.
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‘Honestly, I used to go in there and get changed, there was me, Scholes, and Butty – Becks was delayed as he was a year later than us and Giggsy was already there – I remember that I used to walk back into my own dressing room after I’d got changed.
‘It was massively overwhelming, in terms of the presence of the people in the dressing room. Mark Hughes was my hero; Bryan Robson was still at the club when I made my Premier League debut. I’ve got goosebumps of me being in there and it scares me to death.
‘In the youth team and reserves, I was the captain, so I’d get changed and go back into the youth team dressing room. [David] Beckham would be in there, Phil [Neville] would be in there – I felt like I didn’t belong [in the first team dressing room].’
Neville believes starting the 1995 FA Cup final, which Manchester United lost 1-0 to Everton, was a turning point in his career and made him feel like an integral part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad.
Neville with his one and only United manager Sir Alex Ferguson (Picture: Getty)
‘I’d been to watch Manchester United In the 1983 and 1985 FA Cup semi-finals at Villa Park. So, for me to play in that game, it was massive,’ the 49-year-old added.
‘To play in the semi-final at Villa Park, that was monumental and a big step coming through. I was playing against John Salako, a good winger, and I did quite well in the first game – we drew.
‘In the second game, we won and went through [to the final]. Where I felt I really belonged was when he [Sir Alex Ferguson] picked me at Wembley for the final [in 1995].
‘I played the first half at right back and then Steve Bruce went off at half time and I played centre back in the second half.’
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