Gary Neville's reason for stepping back from MNF role as Sky Sports' stance emerges

Gary Neville has decided to step back from his Monday Night Football hosting duties with Sky Sports.

The ex-Manchester United skipper is carving out time for exciting ventures across the pond, including The Overlap US and assisting NBC Sports with their Premier League broadcasts. Neville joined the Monday Night Football team in 2011/12 as a match analyst, replacing Andy Gray, before starting as the show's presenter alongside Ed Chamberlin in 2014.

Jamie Carragher then came aboard in 2015 and the dynamic between he and Neville has been strong, even when their opinions diverge sharply from time to time. Yet recently, Neville's appearances on MNF have dwindled, with him absent since mid-August and leaving Carragher at the helm.

In a conversation with Rebecca Lowe on the Overlap US YouTube channel, Neville said: "So tomorrow, I'm expected to do set-pieces, whereas with Sky, on Monday Night Football, there are some set pieces which I prepare for - but now I don't do Monday Night Football anymore, I don't do set-pieces any more," reports Mirror Football.

Although Neville started scaling back his MNF role last year to give Carragher a chance to steer the show, his reduced presence has been particularly noticeable this season. While Neville might still make occasional appearances on MNF, it is understood that the show will now pivot towards featuring special guests rather than showcasing the longstanding partnership between the Mancunian and his Liverpudlian co-host.

It is said that Neville may occasionally be used for co-commentary, but he may not always be in the studio with Carragher and other pundits. Despite this, Neville remains a key figure among Sky's football pundits, and he will continue to feature on their Friday