PHIL NEVILLE

England international Phil Neville arrived at Goodison in August 2005, becoming the Club’s fourth major signing of the summer.

Renowned for his versatility, the younger of the two Neville brothers brought a wealth of European and international experience to Everton when he completed his transfer from Manchester United.

During his time at Old Trafford he earned 52 England caps and made 78 appearances in Europe. He was a product of the Manchester United youth system overseen by former Everton coach Eric Harrison.

But his sporting career could have taken a very different path. At the age of 14 he had to make the choice between football and cricket, having excelled as a young player at Lancashire Cricket Club where he broke batting records set by Mike Atherton.

Cricket’s loss was football’s gain. A former member of the Bury and Greater Manchester Schoolboy teams joined Manchester United in July 1993 as a trainee.

Less than a year later he signed professional forms and made his senior debut in an FA Cup fourth round tie against Wrexham at Old Trafford in January 1995. Later that season Phil captained Manchester United’s junior team to FA Youth Cup glory.

That was just the start of the silverware for the younger Neville, who went on to collect six Premiership titles, three FA Cups, a Champions League winners’ medal and a World Club Cup title at Old Trafford.

Phil was 28 when he completed his switch down the East Lancs road to Goodison. Capable of operating as a left or right-back or in the midfield, he has become a key member of the England squad because of his reliability.

A consummate professional, his signing was seen by many at Everton as further confirmation of the Club’s ambition to maintain and build on the success achieved during the 2004/05 season.

He was a virtual ever-present during his first season with the Blues, although a disciplinary record of 10 yellow cards and two reds did lead to a number of spells on the sidelines through suspension.

Despite his consistent performances for the Club he was omitted from the England squad for the World Cup in Germany in 2006 - though he was later placed on standby after an injury to Nigel Reo-Coker.

He was recalled to the senior squad by Steve McClaren for the 2006/07 season and took over the Club captaincy at Goodison from David Weir when the Scotland international departed to join Rangers in January 2007.

He was one of Everton’s most consistent performers during the season, despite playing much of it at right-back in place of the injured Tony Hibbert.

Neville continued in the same vein in the 2007/08 campaign, leading by example from midfield and full-back. From his point of view it was a prolific season - scoring against Bolton and Aston Villa!

2008/09 was arguably Neville’s best season at Everton. He began it at right-back before switching to central midfield where he excelled. He found a new level of consistency and was able to exert his captain’s influence from the centre of the field.

He was a strong contender for the Player of the Season award that went to Phil Jagielka.

Neville was an influential figure in Everton’s midfield in 2009/10 until he suffered a knee injury, meaning he was out until late December, before returning to his usual influential role in the side.

The highlight of his 2010/11 campaign was a stunning volley at Wolves in April which broke a three-year goalless spell and was marked by a spoof of Tim Cahill’s corner flag celebration.

Neville penned a one year extension to his contract in August 2011, keeping him at Everton until 2013.

In March 2012 he accepted an invitation to help coach the England Under-21s on a one-off basis.