Manager starts preparing in
Germany on Tuesday for a future he will not be part of and must look beyond the old guard
In a sense the pandemic has done Phil Neville a favour by disrupting a narrative of pretty drastic
England decline. Defeat by the
USA in the
World Cup semi-finals in 2019 kicked off a disappointing run of seven defeats and one draw in 11 games.
The three victories featured a scrappy winner against a Portugal team currently ranked 26 places below them, a last-gasp goal from Leah Williamson against the Czech Republic and an 83rd-minute strike from Ellen White against
Japan which was England’s only goal in their defence of the SheBelieves Cup in March. Neville was left with “a lot of self-reflection” after an “unacceptable” campaign in the US. However, as the squad boarded a plane home with Neville’s future being discussed in the back pages, unfolding on the front pages was the likelihood of an imminent lockdown.