Phil Neville: ‘New England boss impresses despite minor hiccup on first appearance’

Phil Neville’s first appearance as England head coach was going well until he was asked to name the top scorer in the Women’s Super League.

After a week in which his past tweets were pored over and his credentials questioned, he spent an hour in broadcast interviews saying all the right things.

He apologised many times, mentioned his late father as he conveyed his disappointment in the words he’d chosen, explained how earning a Pro Licence didn’t disqualify him from coaching in the women’s game, and said he’d be encouraging Manchester United to start a women’s team.

It was impressive stuff, all on message, and appeared sincere.

But then one scribe decided to test his knowledge of women’s football.

First there was a pause. Then a look to the ceiling. You could tell the former Manchester United player wanted to get this right.

After another pause, and a clue, the 41-year-old said: “It’s not Izzy Christiansen.” He continued to rack his brain for what he thought was the right answer.

Twenty seconds elapsed. It was starting to feel uncomfortable.

What Neville didn’t know was he had already named the player – Manchester City and England midfielder Christiansen, who has seven goals this season.

As he got up to move onto his next engagement, he was put out of his misery. He replied: “I knew it!”

To a degree. At least it wasn’t on the same level as former England men’s boss Sven Goran-Eriksson, who couldn’t name the Leicester goalkeeper or Sunderland left-back – Ian Walker and Michael Gray, if you’re interested – when he made his debut in front of the media in 2001.

For a man looking to create the right impression and underline his status on his first media appearance, it was symptomatic – lots of potential, but with homework to do.