Phil Neville just missed out on the chance to coach Lionel Messi, but he at least landed at his next job quickly.
Just a week after he was sacked as Inter Miami head coach, Neville was hired as an assistant for the Canadian men’s national team. The former England international will join Canada’s staff immediately and will be on the bench for next week’s CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Panama.
Along with Neville, Canada also added ex-Premier League defender Richard Shaw as an assistant.
“Both Phil and Richard bring with them winning experiences at the highest levels and have worked with some of the Premier League’s top managers during their careers,” Canada head coach John Herdman said in a Canada Soccer release. “They’ll work as positional and unit coaches with the aim of helping us to win our first trophy in over two decades.”
Neville’s first full-time head coaching role came with the England women’s national team, which he guided to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Cup. He would then spend two and a half seasons with Inter Miami, missing the postseason in 2021 before making the playoffs last year.
The 46-year-old will likely rue the timing of his sacking in Miami: Less than a week after he was axed, Messi confirmed he will play for Inter Miami.
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