Neville: “I want to instill a culture, values, and a work ethic that will help us be successful”

By Inter Miami CF

January 18^th, 2021

Inter Miami CF announced today that Phil Neville has been named head coach ahead of the 2021 MLS season. The Englishman spoke to the Club about what attracted him to the opportunity and what his ambitions are moving forward:

What does it mean to you to join Inter Miami?

“It’s a tremendous honor. When I started my managerial journey, I wanted to work for the best people, the best clubs, the best fans, and so far in my career I’ve had really good opportunities. This is another fantastic opportunity to join an organization and Club that has unbelievable ambition. I think it matches the same ambition that I have, the owners want to win games of fútbol, they want to connect with the community, they want to build a fútbol club for this community that makes everybody in this region really proud. I think it’s so exciting. There’s lots and lots of challenges ahead of us, but I’m just really honored to be a part of it.”

Neville: “I want to instill a culture, values, and a work ethic that will help us be successful”

What are your thoughts on being able to be part of building something here?

“I think the most exciting thing about this opportunity is that we have a clean slate to build something that’s bigger and better than anything in America. And not just America, but even world renowned. When we talk about the unbelievable facilities, the fantastic stadium that we’re in at this moment in time, you can have all those things but without the people inside those buildings, without the culture and values that David [Beckham] the ownership group want to instill into this Club, you have nothing. I think we have a blank canvas, a fresh start, and we want to build the values that actually make everyone successful. Success in fútbol is no different than success in other walks of life, you have to work so hard, you have to be together, you have to have people supporting you all the time. I think that’s the most exciting thing, we are at the start of a journey, the foundations are being built at this moment in time and I hope to play a small part in that.”

What can the fans expect in terms of playing style from your team here?

“When the supporters come to the stadium, I want them to see the team with an identity and say, ‘this is an Inter Miami team, an exciting team that plays a real open brand of fútbol.’ We want to play technical fútbol, we want to be aggressive, we want to play on the front foot, we want to go out and try and win every single game. I’m not a coach that likes to sit back, I said when I started my journey as a coach I want to be as brave as possible and try to win every single game of fútbol. I’m going to stay true to those values at Inter Miami. I think those values suit the values of the ownership, suit the values of the supporters, and I think the supporters will enjoy the brand and style of fútbol that I want to play and the players want to play. I think hopefully we’ll look back in time and say this team has a real identity of what Inter Miami is all about.”

How did your time in the Premier League shape how you approach managing a team?

“I think it shaped a lot. I worked for probably the greatest manager of all time in Sir Alex Ferguson, I’ve worked for some fantastic managers, but I think more importantly I worked in teams that were successful and played for teams that were successful. I think what you learn in those environments is what it takes and what you need to succeed. You walk into any training ground in the world of teams that are successful in any sport, there is a smell around the place, there’s a work ethic, a value, a culture that you have to instill. That’s what I want to do here at Inter Miami, I want to instill a culture, values, and a work ethic that will help us be successful. I think the cherry on top of the cake is always winning; standing on the platform with a trophy in your hands is what we all dream of, but actually the most important thing is the work it takes that goes into that, the process that we will try to instill. The players, the supporters, the workers, everyone connected with the Club has a huge part to play.”

What message would you like to send to the fan base?

“In the last 12 months when we’ve been going through this pandemic, I think more than ever we’ve realized how important supporters are to a fútbol club, to a team, and I know that once we get to games in our stadium this place will be a fortress, it’ll be hard for teams to come here and play. The fans are going to play a massive part in our journey, in their support, their love, their care, and their challenge to us. I want them to share in the success that we have. One of the things that we have to do as a fútbol club is get as many supporters in this stadium as we can, we have to connect with our local community, and we have to get a real togetherness around the place.”

Button Label