Gary Neville appointed as Valencia head coach

Former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville has been appointed head coach of Valencia until the end of the season.

The 40-year-old will become a head coach for the first time with the Spanish club and is likely to leave his roles as coach with the England national team and as a pundit on Sky Sports.

“I am excited and I am proud to have received this huge opportunity with Valencia Football Club,” Neville told the club website. “It is a huge club of immense prestige and I remember well from my time as a player, the passion and loyalty of their fans.”

Neville will officially start work with the La Liga team, who are ninth in the table, on Sunday, meaning that he will not be in charge for Saturday’s match against leaders Barcelona. Valencia president Chan Lay Hoon said that Neville’s “high level of leadership” was a key factor in his appointment.

“Throughout his career, Gary has always shown a high level of leadership on and off the field,” said Lay Hoon. “He is greatly respected in the English football and have been these qualities that have convinced us that it is the right choice to lead the team until the end of season.”

Neville’s brother Phil Neville is currently the assistant at Valencia and will work alongside his brother, two years his senior, at the Mestalla. Gary’s first match in charge will be the final Champions League group game against Lyon a week today, with Los Che currently third and a point behind Gent, who play runaway leaders Zenit St Petersburg.