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Glenn Hoddle’s decision not to include Phil Neville in England’s World Cup squad hit his brother Gary hard. Speaking in The Times on Saturday he revealed: “It never really crossed my mind that Phil might be left out. It has never really happened to us as brothers before, where one has made it and another not.” 

The 23-year-old Manchester United defender spoke about how he felt when he first heard the news.

“My meeting with the boss was fine. From then on, my thoughts were all about Phil, who went in two or three people after me. Phil was in the room next to me so I went back to mine and waited for about 10 minutes. Then I heard his door open and I knew immediately that it was bad news or else he would have come and knocked on my door. He was devastated. Gazza was in the room on the other side of me and he was distraught, too.” 

“It really hit me when I saw Phil and Nicky Butt walking away to be taken to the airport for the flight home. That was a horrible feeling. I went to Paul Scholes’ room and we talked about it for ages.” But he added: “Phil’s rejection hit me hard for a couple of days – I make no bones about that – but now that I have joined up with England again, I have put it behind me.”