He has been a loyal servant for both for England and Manchester United for over 10 years has time arrived for Gary Neville to hang up his boots? Not that his form has taken a sharp dip towards the bottomless abyss or that he has fallen out of favor with Sir Alex Ferguson but because the string of injuries he has suffered since March have rendered him in tatters.
The last time that Gary Neville was observed in a Manchester United shirt was when he broke his ankle against Bolton Wanderers way back in March and the England international hasn’t played in the first team of his club. A series of other problems have cropped up since. But just when it did appear that Neville had finally overcome his injury problems, the devil raised its ugly head once more.
Neville played for Manchester United reserves in November but a series of calf and thigh problems have haunted the 32-year old to such a degree that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has decided not to include Neville for midweek’s UEFA Champions League clash against AS Roma. Instead the player scampers off to another check-up.
This is what the Scot had to say about Neville’s persistent injury woes:
It is disappointing. He has gone back to the specialist for him to have another look at it, but there is nothing positive on that at all. It is not getting serious. He just keeps getting niggling injuries. It is a concern that he gets small setbacks every time he gets ready to play. We need to sort it out and get him back as soon as possible.
But there’s something wrong and that’s for sure. No, this is not to say that Neville’s career is finished but the Injury Gods love for Gary Neville implies that he needs to come out of their trap soon. Neville might still be one of the best defenders in the land but with the emergence of Micah Richards, both Sir Alex and the next England coach, whoever he is, could be looking at someone other than Neville in the long run.
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