Gary Neville addressed students on Monday at the Oxford Union, revealing his first-choice Manchester United XI and backing Gareth Southgate to be the permanent England manager.

The former United and England right back also discussed his old side’s struggles this season under Jose Mourinho, his troubled time as manager of Valencia and the tale of the Argentine who spat in his face.

Sportsmail brings you the fascinating discussion below.

Gary Neville named the Manchester United XI he would pick if he were the manager

Neville was speaking at the Oxford Union on Monday when he spoke about United's XI

Neville would pair world record purchase Paul Pogba with club veteran Michael Carrick

How do you explain Manchester United's issues since Sir Alex Ferguson left?

'Part of me thinks it was always going to happen. It's hard for them.

NEVILLE'S BEST XI David De Gea Antonio Valencia Chris Smalling Eric Bailly Daley Blind Paul Pogba Michael Carrick Ander Herrera Henrikh Mkhitaryan Anthony Martial Marcus Rashford Advertisement

'The best description I've heard with respect to Sir Alex Ferguson leaving is that it is like when the father moves out of the family home, the step-father moves in and they don't really listen to him.

'Sir Alex knew everyone's name, everyone was treated equally and when he left and then David Gill left at the same moment, the void was huge.

'Sir Alex was the person who everyone looked up to and he was gone. When you step away from those levels, even two per cent, three per cent or four per cent, it's not good enough.

'Last week was 30 years since he was appointed, in the first three years he won nothing. It took seven years to win his first title, 13 years for his first European trophy and the treble. For all we know, David Moyes or Louis van Gaal could have been great Manchester United managers, but that patience is never going to happen again.

'If you want immediate success, it can become like a hit job and begin to spiral out of control. At times it has felt with United like every £100m spent creates another £100m of problems.'

Neville did find space for out of favour Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan (right)

What do you make of Jose Mourinho's signings?

'I do think they are players that traditionally fit the Manchester United profile. Players like Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly are physical signings. Louis van Gaal liked to sign possession-based and technical players.

'The best United teams have pace, they counter-attack, they are dynamic. Louis van Gaal felt like a departure from that. Jose Mourinho I think has been trying to correct a situation where there have been signings that have smacked of desperation of times.'

Neville believes the £89m signing of Paul Pogba fits the classic Manchester United profile

Are the players responsible?

'The managers are fall guys. When I was there, we simply knew that we would be gone before the manager Sir Alex Ferguson, unless he chose to leave. We live in an industry where the employees have more power than the employers. It is easier to get rid of the manager than 22 players. Players have to take responsibility.

I never came out of a game and thought "that guy sat on the side of the pitch lost that game for us." A lot of the United players have been inconsistent. Some were also incredibly used to one man's vision of football. It's been difficult for players and coaches to get over Sir Alex Ferguson leaving.

Did you feel impact of Ferguson's words in press conferences as players?

'We always felt Ferguson's press conferences were a message to us as players. He'd be angry, he'd be mellow, he'd single a player out for praise, he'd be cold about a player. We'd wonder why he'd done that at that moment of time.

'With regards the knocking Liverpool off their perch comment, that would have been off-the-cuff and raw and real. Manchester United fans in the 1980s grew up seeing Liverpool win titles.

'His job was to stop that happening and make Manchester United win titles. I always remember that Rafa Benitez interview - 'the facts'. They were a good Liverpool team, the closest they'd every got to us I felt. We knew in that moment, once the manager loses it, that it would trickle down to their players and we drew strength from it.'

Alex Ferguson was famed for his fiery press conferences during his Manchester United days

What would be your current Manchester United XI?

'Well, David de Gea is the easy one in goal. I would then pick Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly and probably Daley Blind at left back at this moment in time.

'I would then have Paul Pogba to the left in midfield, Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera in there. Then ahead of them, I'd have Henrikh Mikhtaryan to the right and then....Anthony Martial to the left and Marcus Rashford up front.

'Oh no, I can see the headlines now! No Rooney or Ibrahimovic! It would be a great subs' bench!'

The Red Devils legend found no space for Wayne Rooney (left) or Zlatan Ibrahimovic

And your 5-a-side team?

'It would have to be Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo and Roy Keane. We could play against the Liverpool spice boys in the cream suits!'

ON ENGLAND

Should Gareth Southgate get the England job?

'I think it would have to be an English manager. He has managed in the Premier League, he has been in the FA system, coaching the U21 side. I'd say he should be given the job. It feels like the right trajectory. He has done the licenses, understands international and club football, there are few English coaches as qualified as that.'

Who was the best England manager you had?

'Terry Venables was the best by a long way. He was fantastic. He was tactically great and felt very advanced. He was also a good man-manager, he was not afraid. Some England managers felt they weren't their players to discipline, as though they were just visitors for the week. Venables had good people around him like Bryan Robson and Don Howe.'

Neville claims the best England manager he served under was Terry Venables 'by a long way'

How do you diagnose England's problems?

'I went to eight tournaments with England. I don't say that out of arrogance, it's more an embarrassment. There are many reasons for the problem. Not good enough, is one. Sometimes you are just not good enough.

'Another reason is that about 32% of the Premier League is made up of English talent. That's over 50% in Germany and Spain. I also see cultural reasons. Pathways are blocked for young people who dream of being a footballer. It is expensive to watch football both at stadiums and on television. I watched United every week in the stadium as a kid and watching is a great way to learn.

'There has also been a facilities drain, selling off sports fields. Parents are less keen to see their children playing football on the streets. In Spain, each local community or village has their own facilities for kids to use freely. There are many reasons for failing. We have the most money but that money is sometimes directed in the wrong way.

Explain England failures when the talent has been good though?

'Our two big chances were 1996 and 2004. I felt we were better than Portugal in 2004. The injury to Wayne Rooney cost us because he was destroying everyone. I felt we could have won it that year. Then there's penalties, they kept costing us. There you have to mention a mental toughness, how you handle big moments. For you guys here, students, it must be like tackling a big exam, how you handle that big 90 minutes in your life. We need to improve our mental toughness.

Neville says England's last good chance to win a major tournament was Euro 2004

'To be a football player you need a level of talent and robust mental strength. A major skill is to create robust people who can handle the truth and handle tough situations. At United, we spoke in truth, accepted it and then forgot about it the next day and moved on. I want young people who can accept obstacles, jump over them and I'd choose them over talented individuals.

'A lot of young people also can't take praise. They change. They change with money, they change with contracts. Don't change. Keep the hard work, keep the humility. Be able to cope with scrutiny and fame. Money alters people in all walks of life.

MANAGEMENT

Will you return to management after Valencia?

'No. I don't think I'll go into management again at all. I'm committed to my businesses and other things. But what did I learn? Well, what's leadership? How do you create a culture of loyalty while also being a clinical and ruthless decision maker?

'I will give you an example. After two weeks of me going in, I knew two senior players wanted to leave. They weren't with the club. I thought I could upskill them and I should have ended it there and then. Moving forwards in business, I will see in their eyes whether they are with you or not, and I that will help decide whether I kick them out.

'If they are not working hard and are not with, you have to cut the ties. I was aware. I rang up Sir Alex Ferguson after 10 days, he told me to get rid of them. I thought "I've only been here 10 days, what if the the fans think I'm a hitman? What will the dressing room make of it?' It plays tricks with yor mind. Overall, people are obssessed with blaming other people but I only look at what I did wrong and three or four critical errors.'

Neville admits he doesn't 'think I'll go into management again at all' after Valencia disaster

Should you have started at a lower tier than a top Spanish club?

'Was I arrogant? I couldn't communicate well. Alvaro Negredo (the former Valencia and now Middlesbrough forward) said in an interview last week that it didn't feel the same. A 15 minute team-talk became half-an-hour with a translator. Everything was elongated.

'I look at what more I could have done once I was there. I had four lessons a week and after four months, just as I was getting sacked, I could do broken team-talks in Spanish. But I was on a football field, doing training sessions, running around with someone by my side. I lost confidence in myself. I don't know about starting lower down. Kenny Dalglish did brilliantly at Liverpool that way, Pep Guardiola's first big job was at Barcelona. There are others who start at the beginning, lower down, the right way and you never see them again because they don't do well in the first job.'

MODERN FOOTBALL AND SALFORD CITY

How do you align business interests with the interests of fans?

'The big things is how you connect between the club and supporters. In 20 years I can say I never heard a United fan question my wage. I think they knew that my commitment and the team's commitment was there. Sometimes, they can put aside that big salary therefore. We do need to reconnect with fans.

'At Altrincham on Saturday, myself, Butty, Scholesy stood behind the goal at Altrincham with the supporters. We didn't buy a club to sip prosecco or whatever it was going to be in the director's box. Our tickets are £7 to get in and £1 for juniors, the lowest in our league. We are trying to show we are in it for the right reasons. But there is a disconnect.

'It might need government intervention. They intervene in other industries, the energy industry for example. Maybe we could have a central board above the Premier League, the Football League, the Football Association and the PFA. It could be a determining body that sits above all that, with representation from supporters, players, and the organisations to ensure a greater redistribution of wealth in the game.'

Asked about this kiss with Paul Scholes, Neviile said he 'did do some stupid things on a pitch'

Is Paul Scholes a good kisser?

'I did do some stupid things on a football pitch really (refers to kissing Scholes after win at Man City)! It's true though that the rules and regulations nowadays don't help. I watched a game recently where a player took his shirt off when he scored and got booked. Why would we want to fine or book a player for demonstrating emotion?

'There is nothing better than jumping into the crowd, squaring up to the opposition. I got banned for two weeks for celebrating one goal against Liverpool. But we talk about the disconnect between fans and players...'

Who was the biggest scumbag you faced?

'There was this Argentine player. He was called (Julio) Cruz, a tall lad for Feyernoord. He spat at me in the face. I think the referee saw it and turned away. It shocked me and that was one of the worst things you can do on the football pitch.

'You probably want someone more well-known, though....I wouldn't say scumbag but playing against Robbie Fowler for Liverpool and Man City was always....interesting. We actually got on well off-the-pitch and at England meets. On the pitch, he once questioned the looks of my girlfriend!'

Do you get on with Jamie Carragher?

'We get along fine....now (laughs). Him being Mr. Liverpool, if you'd siad ten years ago, we'd have a bi-weekly show together, I'd have said no chance. We get on very well. I found I could say things he didn't like and he could say things I didn't like and then you'd forget about it and move on. That's key. Sometimes with pundits, you can see they are not willing to have an argument, they are frightened of upsetting each other.'