While Gary Neville may be self-deprecating about his talent as a footballer – he admitted that surviving almost two decades at Manchester United was an immense achievement

Sir Alex Ferguson was the only manager Gary Neville had in his professional football career (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)

Gary Neville claimed Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t carry passengers as he opened up about his successful Manchester United career.

The former Red Devils defender, 49, enjoyed a trophy-laden career at his boyhood club which included eight Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, and seven FA Cup and League Cup triumphs across his 19 years as a footballer.

Neville ranks among the greatest right-backs in Premier League history but is notoriously self-deprecating when it comes to his ability, despite the sheer amount of winning he achieved.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, he admitted that it’s “easier” understate his career given the amount of people who tell him plenty of players could have played in his position considering the extraordinary talent he had around him at Man United.

“It’s easier that way [to downplay my career],” Neville claimed. “If I said that I was the best right back in Premier League history, or one of the best, how is that going to go down? Where do you rank yourself? I don’t know. I’m content with everything that I did and I don’t feel like I need to play it up in any way, shape, or form.

“I think it’s because a lot of people will say that I played with Rio Ferdinand or Jaap Stam, that I had Roy Keane or Paul Scholes, David Beckham, [Andrei] Kanchelskis, and [Cristiano] Ronaldo in front of me – a lot of people say that anyone could have played there [right back].

“So, I play along to the actual crowd a bit with that idea that anyone could have played because I had such unbelievable players around me.”