Gary Neville Comments on Valencia Future and Manchester United Speculation

Valencia boss Gary Neville has revealed he does not plan to pursue management as a long-term career and ruled out the possibility of becoming head coach at Manchester United or England in the future.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves, he said:

"

I'm not going to say where I want to end up, and it isn't in management or head coaching, so I want to be clear about that. 

That's not my ultimate goal of where I want to be. From my point of view, I was really enjoying what I was doing, I really was, the multiple things I had on, even though I knew it was coming to a point where I had to make decisions at the end of this season. 

"

Neville—currently in charge at the Mestalla until the end of the season and also assistant manager with England—has been touted as a future candidate as manager of former club United or the Three Lions, but he is adamant neither post lies in his future, adding:

"

Having been in the media for four or five years, I've seen people dance around those questions, playing it coy, making it look like they are keeping their options open. 

But I just wanted to nip it in the bud, and just tell it how it is, and how it is going to be. It's just not going to happen. I didn't want to blag my way through the answer.

"

However, he did clarify after his side's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid on Sunday that he hopes to be at Valencia past the end of the current campaign, per BBC Sport: "I was talking about 15 to 20 years' time when I talked about [quitting] management. I absolutely hope I'm here beyond six months but I need to prove myself."

Having retired from a glittering career with the Red Devils in 2011, the 40-year-old made the move into the media where his insightful analysis made him one of the nation's most popular pundits.

Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez was one of many excited by Neville's decision to take over at Valencia in December:

However, Los Che were seriously struggling before Neville replaced Nuno Espirito Santo, and he has been unable to make an immediate impact in turning around their form, as Squawka Football revealed:

"

Gary Neville's record at Valencia in La Liga: 4 games 3 draws 1 loss 0 wins 0 clean sheets Management is tough. pic.twitter.com/QNLZNd6Iog

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 31, 2015"

Thanks to his incredible experience in winning trophies and leading a team as a captain during his time as a player—along with his impressive and incisive knowledge of the game—Neville has an excellent platform to become an outstanding manager.

However, it's clearly a path he's not looking to choose in the long term, so even if he is able to make his time at Valencia a success, it seems his mind is already firmly made up.

Sky Sports will likely welcome the news, though, as he could end up returning to the screen as a pundit, allowing him to reunite with friend and rival Jamie Carragher, with whom he worked so well on Monday Night Football.

As for Manchester United fans, many will have been hoping for Neville to take over at Old Trafford in the future—possibly alongside current assistant boss Ryan Giggs—so they'll undoubtedly be disappointed to hear of his decision.

The Red Devils have struggled following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 and barring the appointment of a top coach like Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho, many of the Old Trafford faithful would likely welcome a former playing legend to manage them in the future, but it looks like it won't be Neville.