Gary Neville’s Man Utd team-mate gave savage three-word truth about Sky Sports performance

Gary Neville didn't initially impress his former Manchester United team-mate with his early broadcasting efforts on Sky Sports.

The former United captain is now in his 13th year as a sports broadcaster, having joined Sky Sports at the start of the 2011-12 season. Over the years, he has emerged as one of the nation's top football analysts, building a strong rapport with old rival Jamie Carragher and presenter Dave Jones.

However, his initial ventures into television were far from polished, with ex-Manchester United colleague Nicky Butt even claiming that Neville was "s***" during his early days on Monday Night Football. Butt was notably critical of Neville's debut on Sky Sports, where he appeared rather nervous while interviewing former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini.

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During his first appearance on MNF in 2011, Neville stumbled over his words, leaving Butt unimpressed. The 49-year-old told The Athletic in 2021 he wasn't thrilled with Neville's debut but admitted that his old team-mate eventually proved him wrong.

He said: "As a manager, you'll have tough times and get stick from the press. I know that and I'm fine with the media.

"I wasn't when I started in my first interviews or my first managerial speeches, but you learn. I remember seeing Nev on Sky Sports at first and he was rubbish, and I told him. Now he's the best, by a mile. And you have to be prepared for questions journalists have a job to do too."

Neville has consistently impressed since his initial start and is now considered a standard-setter in football