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05th Feb 2016

Rafa Benitez is being lined up to replace Gary Neville at Valencia

Tom Victor

It looks as though Valencia’s Gary Neville experiment isn’t going as planned, so it’s back to basics for Los Che.

After bringing back Jesús García Pitarch as sporting director, the Spanish club are reportedly turning to another familiar face as they look for their next permanent manager.

Neville will stay in Spain until the end of the season, as originally planned, but Rafa Benitez is being lined up to take over in the summer, according to AS.

Benitez worked with Garcia Pitarch during his previous Valencia spell, winning La Liga in 2002 and 2004 and adding a UEFA Cup title before leaving for Liverpool.

Recent jobs have not been as kind to the 55-year-old, who was dismissed by Real Madrid after just a few months and has not managed more than two seasons at any one club since moving on from Anfield in 2010.

But it would still be a huge coup for Valencia, who are currently 12th in La Liga and unlikely to be involved in European competition next season.