Neville says he had no hesitation in taking a job as coach at Valencia

Phil Neville is taking two hours of Spanish lessons every day in his eagerness to fit into a new way of life in Valencia, but a severe haircut is one sign that not everything has gone smoothly. “I asked for poco, a little off,” he smiles. “The hairdresser thought I wanted only a little left on.”

Then there was the first day at work when he got so badly lost on the way to the training ground that, panicking he would be late, he stopped to ask for directions. He ended up arriving for his new job in the back of a police car.

Neville was desperate to turn up ahead of schedule, the way he was brought up, putting out the cones at