Neville was a teammate of prospective Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce.
Former Premier League defender Phil Neville has turned down the chance to join Aston Villa’s backroom team, according to the Telegraph.
The report claims that Neville held talks with Villa over a possible assistant manager’s role – with his ex-Manchester United teammate Steve Bruce still the leading contender to replace sacked head coach Roberto Di Matteo.
The 39-year-old, who also played for Everton before retiring in 2013, is said to have been admired by Villa chief executive Keith Wyness and technical director Steve Round, both of whom are former Goodison Park employees.
However, Neville is keen to become a manager in his own right, according to the Telegraph, having coached at both United and Spanish giants Valencia, as well as the England Under-21s.
The report adds that an announcement regarding Di Matteo’s successor is expected before Saturday’s visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers and could even happen as early as Wednesday.
Middlesbrough’s Steve Agnew, who worked with Bruce at Hull City, and Warren Joyce, the manager of Manchester United’s second string, have also been touted as possible number 2s to the 55-year-old.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
