Phil Neville has revealed that he wishes he hadn’t taken the captain’s armband so soon after his arrival at Everton, in a tell-all interview that also saw the club legend call Merseyside derbies “over-hyped”.
Named captain by then manager David Moyes in a match against Dinamo Bucharest shortly after his 2005 arrival from Manchester United, Neville would eventually go on to take the role full-time after the departure of David Weir in 2007.
However, Neville claimed in an interview with Sky Sports (quoted by the Liverpool Echo) that he wouldn’t have taken the captaincy so soon if he was faced with the decision again.
They [the fans] hadn’t accepted me because after one month David Moyes made me captain.
At the time I accepted it but, looking back, I shouldn’t have done.
I should have got my feet under the table and waited six months but he wanted it done and he wanted it done straight away.
I found it really tough as I wasn’t accepted by my team-mates. I was the teacher’s pet, I was Moyes’ little boy.
That first season was mentally really tough. I found it really difficult.
The Everton stalwart also stated how much he loathed Merseyside derbies.
I hated Merseyside derbies, I really did,
I thought they were over-hyped. I think a Manchester derby, we used to talk about from 48 hours before. Merseyside derbies were a week before.
The masseur would put up on the wall ‘five more sleeps’. The next day ‘four more sleeps’, the next day ‘three more sleeps until the Merseyside derby’.
It was the biggest game.
