Valencia

Gary Neville: 'Lack of Spanish not a problem'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 28 December 2015

Valencia boss Gary Neville reveals that he is working hard to learn Spanish, but does not think that the language barrier is too much of a problem in Spain.

Gary Neville has played down suggestions that the language barrier in Spain will make it difficult for the Englishman to make his mark at Valencia.

Neville took charge of Los Che last month following the sacking of Nuno and will lead the Spanish club until the end of the season, when his future will be addressed.

The former Manchester United defender has insisted that not speaking Spanish has not seriously harmed his ability to make an impression, but he is learning to speak the language for "an hour and a half or two a day".

Neville, who is still the assistant coach of England, has also talked up the importance of his own coaches as he attempts to settle at the Mestalla.

"If I spoke Spanish, it'd also be difficult to communicate with the players on the pitch. I'm an assistant for England and I've been a player for many years, but communicating with players is always very difficult, regardless of their nationality or another," Neville told Marca.

"Still, I have [Miguel Angel] Angulo and [Jose Manuel] Ochotorena and there's no problem communicating with them. I can communicate with [the players] by showing them a screen with the tactics, or I can show them videos.

"For now, I try to [study Spanish] for an hour and a half or two a day. I'm watching videos of our opponents non-stop. When I move into my house on December 27 then I'll start watching Spanish television. At the moment, I'm learning the 'I am, you are, he is'."

Gary's younger brother Phil Neville is also on the coaching staff at Valencia.