The 41-year-old reflects on a year in charge of England Women and how he plans to lead them to World Cup glory next summer

“Flown by. Absolutely flown by,” Phil Neville says as he reflects on his time in charge of the England women’s side. It has been almost a year and, as is the case with any job, there have been highs and lows, both of which Neville is willing and able to speak about on a clear winter’s afternoon at the national team’s base at St George’s Park.

Pride and ambition radiate from the former Manchester United defender and no more so than when conversation turns to next summer’s World Cup in France. England qualified for the tournament with victory over Wales in August and, following last Saturday’s draw, have been placed in the same group as Scotland, Argentina and Japan. It starts on 7 June and for the manager the target is clear: to get to the final in Lyon a month later and win the competition for the first time.

“Whether you’re male or female, going to a World Cup is the biggest thing that will ever happen in your life,” Neville says. “For some of my players, the young players especially, it’ll be the first time they’ll ever go. It’s also the first time I’ll go, as a manager or player, so these are special moments and we’re going to enjoy every minute of them.

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“But the ethos is clear – to make sure we have a chance of winning the World Cup. It won’t be easy; we’re going to have to go to places in our training and performances that this team has never been before. But I feel we’re capable of that.”

The signs are positive given England’s record under Neville: 12 games played, seven of which have ended in victory, including a 4-1 triumph over France in March notable not only in the context of Corinne Diacre’s side being World Cup hosts but also because the fixture was Neville’s first in charge, providing the 41-year-old with the perfect start to a tenure that was confirmed two months earlier amid controversy and questions of credibility.

Neville’s lack of experience in women’s football was held up as a reason by some for why he should not have been named as Mark Sampson’s replacement and then, shortly after he was hired, came the emergence of tweets he had posted several years earlier and which led to accusations of misogyny.

Neville quickly expressed regret over the tweets while insisting they were not reflective of his character. He also deleted his Twitter account as a way of putting an end to the matter and, 11 months on, it’s clear there is no desire on his part to go over old ground. Neville is more prepared, however, to address the accusations that he lacked the background to take the England job, his first managerial post following coaching spells at United and Valencia, and as he does so it becomes clear there is lingering resentment towards those who refused to give him a chance.

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“At my first press conference I was told: ‘You know nothing about the players, nothing about women’s football’ and I just thought it was incredibly disrespectful,” Neville says. “It’s football, I was managing a football team and I had great experience of working with top players, and I only ever saw it as coming into a job and working with top players. I know the people who said those things and from the moment we beat France they weren’t levelling that against me.

“But I wasn’t affected by it, and actually the more criticism we get the more it shows the game is getting stronger in the public eye. In the past an England women’s team has lost and nobody has written about it – now people are writing about us and that’s positive.”

Neville is at St George’s Park to support the inclusion of female walking football in the FA People’s Cup. The former Everton captain, who won 59 England caps during a playing career that spanned almost 20 years, is in relaxed mood as he speaks with members of two female walking teams but by his own admission his brain is forever whirring, forever thinking about how to make sure England are in the right shape to improve on the semi-final place they achieved at the World Cup in Canada four years ago.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Phil Neville passes instructions to England’s captain Steph Houghton during a training session at St George’s Park. Photograph: Lynne Cameron for The FA/Rex/Shutterstock

His plans have not been helped by the loss of the vice-captain Jordan Nobbs to an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained by the Arsenal midfielder last month. Given Nobbs’ influence as well asand experience, Neville would be entitled to sulk but he is instead determined to focus on the positives, such as the “individual development plans” he has got his players adhering to while they are with their clubs. It is an innovative move and one which, I suggest, would be unthinkable in the men’s game.

“It would be impossible,” Neville agrees, “but it’s not necessarily me asking the club managers to do anything. Rather it’s a case of us educating players who’ve only been professional footballers for three to four years about what it takes to reach elite level – if you’re only doing what your club manager says then that’s not enough.

“What we’ve been saying to our players is if you get half an hour at the end of a [training] session, you need to be doing x/y/z. And the likes of Emma [Hayes] at Chelsea and Nick [Cushing] at Man City have brought into it because they can see the benefit for them as well.”

According to Neville, players such as Karen Bardsley, Steph Houghton and Fran Kirby have not only bought into the development plans but also the WhatsApp group he set up to keep in touch with his squad on a daily basis. “Some people made fun of it but it’s actually been one of our biggest strengths in terms of me and my staff connecting with the players,” he says. “Within 10 minutes of a WSL game finishing virtually ever player gets feedback on their performances in terms of England-level requirements. It’s something they’ve never had before and I’ve said to them: ‘Is it too much?’ But they love the feedback and every time a player texts the group it assures me they’re buying into what we’re trying to achieve.

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“It seems like yesterday that I met the team in La Manga for the first time and I have to say [taking the England job] is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The players have been unbelievable – they’re inspirational in terms of their drive to be the best they can be.”

After the World Cup draw, Neville claimed his backroom staff were “locked in a room planning who we want to play in May, early June and maybe April”. One side they are already scheduled to face is Japan at the SheBelieves Cup on 5 March, something Neville has described as “tricky” given they are fellow Group D opponents. Yet from the manager there is a consistent mantra: England have nothing to fear.

“Along the way [to winning the World Cup] you’re going to have to come up against one of the big teams so the sooner you play them the better,” he says. “Belief within the squad is at a level it’s never been before. We just have to keep our feet on the ground as we’ve got a lot of work to do, and that’s what we’ll be doing starting in January when we go on camp.”

Before then comes Christmas and a chance for Neville to unwind. Yet there will be no letting up from a man with an unrelenting desire to better himself and provide this country with another World Cup summer to remember. “I’m going to watch a few Premier League games,” he says, “go see Pep Guardiola, go see Jürgen Klopp, go see different styles, tactics, systems.

“It’s very difficult for me to switch off. I always say I’ll rest when I die – that’s my motto. I just hope I don’t die before the World Cup!”

For more information on The FA People’s Cup and to register your interest, visit: http://www.thefa.com/competitions/the-fa-peoples-cup