'This was one of my bucket-list things'
Former Manchester United star Phil Neville is excited by the prospect of leading his England side out at Old Trafford in the opening match of the UEFA Women's Euro 2021 tournament.
Neville: 'It was a goosebumps moment'
Phil Neville discusses Old Trafford hosting the Lionesses' Euro 2021 opener...
The tournament is being staged in England and kicks off at United's home on 7 July next year.
"It's funny really," he told us. "My first major tournament, as a player, was Euro 96 - and that was in England. I was 19, I was young and I didn't manage to get on the field, but it probably had the biggest influence on me as a player in terms of international football.
“It was the very first time I realised what football meant to the people of England. As a footballer, you're sometimes cocooned in your own little world, locked behind the security network. If you're the manager or the players, security surrounds the team and you don't really experience the feeling of the fans. But it was a tournament where you're driving to games and going to training and people are lining the streets.
“I remember my brother and I, on one of our off-days, came to a game at Old Trafford, I think it was Germany against Croatia. Literally, everyone was talking about England. What we experienced last summer in France [for the FIFA Women's World Cup], the connection we had with the supporters will be tenfold compared to what we'll experience in the Euros in our own country. We didn't see it in France but we heard about it and were told about it. In the Euros, in 12 months' time, we'll see with our own eyes how much football means to the country."
Opening the tournament with his England players at the Theatre of Dreams is something that has bowled Neville over.
"It means nothing to me, that" he joked. "I think what's really good and brave by the FA is, when we won the rights to this tournament, it was probably looking at a certain level of filling stadiums and I think, now, we needed a bigger stadium to host the first game. For me, when I was told the news, it was one of the goose-bump moments. Wow, that's going to be nice. It's a club, when I was born, I was told to support. It's the club in my heart.
“It's a stadium where I've had probably some of my most fantastic football memories. I suppose, when I finished my career, one of my bucket-list things was to manage a team at Old Trafford. It doesn't get much bigger than managing your country in one of your favourite stadiums."
UEFA Women's Euro 2021 to kick off at Old Trafford
ArticleThe first game of the women's European Championships will be staged at the Theatre of Dreams next year.
"I mean, I never get bored of coming here. I was here for the FA Youth Cup game against Leeds United a couple of weeks ago. The stadium was half empty but you still get the feeling that you get when you come back. Not just memories I had as a player but memories I had as a supporter growing up.
“Memories I had in terms of the history of the club. When you go down the tunnel and go down the corridor, you see the great players who played with the club. You feel you played a small part in the history of this football club. The memories you had in the dressing room, in the players' lounge, in other areas of the ground, where I experienced great moments in.
“It brings back great memories. Like I say, it is the club that is my club, the club I have in my heart, the club that made me as a person and, I think you can tell, I love this club."