Gary Neville has shed light on his decision to call time on his career, stating that it 'didn't feel right' to carry on.
United mainstay felt time had caught up with him
Gary Neville has shed light on his decision to finish his playing career, stating that it "didn't feel right" to carry on until the end of the season.
The now former Manchester United captain decided to call time after 19 years in the senior squad on Wednesday, having won eight Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies and three FA Cups.
The 35-year-old made just three league appearances this season, his last coming against West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, where he was lucky to escape a sending-off for a foul on midfielder Graham Dorrans that was not given.
Neville felt that time had caught up with him in top-level football, and that holding out until the end of the season would be pointless for the former England international's career.
"It wasn't just yesterday obviously, something like that doesn't come as immediate as that," he told
MUTV.
"It's been a combination of events over the last couple of months and I've sort of known for the last few weeks.
"I've been speaking to the manager and obviously he said that you can't just go and do something like that so quickly.
"So I went away for a week and still came to the same conclusion that it was the right thing to do.
"I just felt that my time was up, so when your time's up, your time's up.
Instinct
"Sometimes you just go off gut instinct, that's the type of person I am I suppose."
Neville admitted that he will carry on working with the club in some capacity to honour the rest of his contract, but it is unclear as to whether he will remain on the books at Old Trafford come the summer.
"You just feel it's right. I've been speaking with the manager and I'll continue to the end of the season, but not in the capacity that I've been doing for the last 19 years," he added.
"I may be working with some of the younger players, but that'll be until the end of the season.
"I am going to stay at the club until the end of the season and do some coaching because I have got my coaching badge to complete," he said.
"But at this moment in time my mindset isn't to go into coaching or management full-time.
"I have been working for a football club every day for 20 years. I definitely want to try and continue my relationship with this club, even if it is just as a fan.
"But I want to have 12 months to gather my thoughts. I don't want to rush into another relationship quickly.
Relax
"I want to ease off a little bit and just relax. I need to chill out."
Neville also conceded that it was on New Year's Day at the Hawthorns that he felt it was time to hang up his boots, due to being unable to keep up with the frenetic pace at the highest level.
"After that game on New Year's Day I felt I had reached the end," he said.
"In fact, it wasn't after that game, it was during. I had been thinking about it for a month or so before that.
"You don't just give up after one bad game. I had enough of them over the last 20 years to know that can happen.
"But the way I felt at the start of the season, when I started picking up injuries, there is only so many times you can come back.
"Your mentality is such at this club that you are always willing to go again.
"But sometimes you get a feeling in your mind that you just can't go again and that time had come for me.
"In the previous two seasons I had played 25-30 games and there was always a period where I felt I was contributing.
"I just felt that it was the right time. I played my last game against West Bromwich and came to the conclusion pretty quickly after that that it didn't feel right.
"Time was up and I didn't want to delay four months in my mind, it just wouldn't have been right for me.
"I think that the manager and the club deserve after everything they've done for me to know that as well. So they accepted and supported the decision."
