I thought about that, but his last game as an Everton player was 2013 (he left United in 2005), and his prime was in those mid-to-late 90's United teams. When a large majority of the current roster - and most of the young talent in MLS - was either unborn or in the low-single-digit ages.
So it's not like a lot of them grew up idolizing him as a player; his reputation might mean something in the abstract, but this generation of players is a bit removed from knowing Peak Phil Neville in action. I guess he still does carry that cachet of being on those United teams, but I'm not sure how directly that translates with a 26 year old in 2023.
I thought about that, but his last game as an Everton player was 2013 (he left United in 2005), and his prime was in those mid-to-late 90's United teams. When a large majority of the current roster - and most of the young talent in MLS - was either unborn or in the low-single-digit ages.
So it's not like a lot of them grew up idolizing him as a player; his reputation might mean something in the abstract, but this generation of players is a bit removed from knowing Peak Phil Neville in action. I guess he still does carry that cachet of being on those United teams, but I'm not sure how directly that translates with a 26 year old in 2023.