Phil Neville

Phil Neville was born on 21 January 1977. He is an English football manager and a former player. Today, he is the head coach of the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer. He also owns a club named Salford City with some of his old teammates from Manchester United.

Neville played for Manchester United for ten years. He won many important prizes, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League. In 2005, he moved to Everton, where he played for eight more years. He was good at playing in different positions, especially as a left-back. Neville also played for the England team 59 times and helped them at three European Championships.

After he stopped playing, Neville started coaching. He first helped the England under-21s. Later, he worked at Manchester United and with his brother Gary at Valencia. In 2018, he became the head coach of the England women's team. He led them to fourth place at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Club career

Phil Neville began his football career at the Manchester United Academy. He joined the academy with his brother Gary and worked hard to become a professional player. He first played for the main team in 1995 and helped the club win many important trophies, including six Premier League titles and three FA Cups.

In 2005, Neville moved to Everton, where he became an important player and even the team captain. He played for Everton for eight years and helped the team in many matches. Neville scored important goals and played in big games, including matches against his old team, Manchester United. He stopped playing in 2013 after his contract with Everton ended.

International career

Phil Neville played for the England national team many times. He first played against China in 1996, with his brother. They were the first brothers to play together for England in the same season since 1876.

He was part of England’s teams for the European Championships in 1996, 2000, and 2004, but he was never chosen for a World Cup team. He played in many matches and made 59 appearances for England. His last game was in 2007, and he never played for England again after that.

Style of play

Phil Neville was known for his hard work and could play in many different positions on the field. He usually played as a full-back or wing-back, and could play on either the left or right side. Even though some people said he wasn’t the fastest or the best at passing the ball, he was a steady defender and a good leader. Some critics said he was very tough and sometimes got cards during games. In 2010, a writer said he was one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.

wing-back central midfielder Bleacher Report

Managerial career

Phil Neville has worked in many roles as a football coach. He has a special license called a UEFA Pro Licence. In 2012, he helped coach England’s Under-21s for a game against Belgium. England won that game 4–0.

In 2013, Neville became a coach for Manchester United. Later, he joined Valencia in Spain as a coach. In 2018, he became the head coach of the England women's national team. He led the team to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where they finished fourth.

In 2021, Neville became the head coach of Inter Miami CF in the United States. After two seasons, he moved to coach the Portland Timbers in 2023. He led the team through the 2024 season and into the playoffs.

Media career

Phil Neville often talks about football matches on radio and television. He has been a guest on the BBC’s Match of the Day programme and worked as a commentator for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In 2016, he began working for Sky Sports as a football expert, joining his brother Gary.

Personal life

Phil Neville went to Elton High School with his brothers and sisters. He led the school's football team for five years. He was also good at cricket when he was young and played with a famous player named Andrew Flintoff for Lancashire's youth team.

Phil is the younger brother of former player Gary Neville and the twin brother of Tracey Neville, who coached netball for England. His dad, Neville Neville, worked for a football club called Bury, and his mom, Jill, played netball and worked for the same club.

Phil is married to Julie, and they have a son named Harvey and a daughter named Isabella. Harvey plays football for Inter Miami and has played for the Republic of Ireland youth team because his mom is from Ireland.

Phil decided to become a vegetarian in 2014 after his wife suggested he try it for two weeks. He felt better and healthier after that.

Phil’s daughter Isabella has cerebral palsy, which inspired him to help charities. He supports Bliss, a charity for special care babies, and is a patron for the new children’s hospital in Manchester. He has also helped raise money for an orphanage in Kenya and a youth club in Warrington. Together with his former teammates, including Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, and Paul Scholes, he started an organization called Foundation 92 to help people in his community.

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial statistics

As of match played 17 May 2026

Honours

Phil Neville won many awards when he played for Manchester United. He helped the team win the Premier League six times, the FA Cup three times, and the UEFA Champions League once. He also won other cups like the FA Community Shield and the Intercontinental Cup.

As a manager, Neville led the England Women team to win the SheBelieves Cup in 2019.