England manager Roy Hodgson has given Gary Neville his full backing as the assistant coach makes his first step into management with Valencia.
Neville revealed at his first press conference in charge of the Spanish club that Hodgson “understood completely” how big an opportunity the 40-year-old had been given.
“When I spoke to Roy he was incredibly supportive, enthuastic and positive for me…he was behind me 100%,” Neville said.
“We [England] have the two games in March, in an international break when Valencia don’t play, so from my point of view I wanted to complete my job through to the European Championships.
“Valencia will be my priority for 95, for 99% of my time. But I have a lot of hours in my day,” he added.
Neville has been involved with the England squad since 2012, joining the setup when Hodgson took over ahead of the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.