Football story by Fred Smith, Sat, 03 Dec 2005 13:24:00 GMT


MANCHESTER - England defender Gary Neville has been named as the new captain of Manchester United after the departure of Roy Keane. Neville was carrying a groin injury for the past three months and was out of action during the time.

Dutchman Rudd van Nistelrooy was the interim skipper for the club. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson chose to replace Keane with Neville ahead of his star striker. David Beckham, currently playing for Real Madrid, had also called for the captain's armband to be given to Neville after the club had decided to terminate Roy Keane's contract last month.

30-year-old Neville has come up the ranks with United and commands healthy respect all round, "He has a good behavior pattern, he's strong-minded and totally committed. His great experience at the club is also a big factor. Our younger players look to him when they have problems and he champions their causes," Fergusson said adding that Neville was a complete professional.

Neville, who is the first choice full-back for England's soccer team has played in 477 matches for United and began his new role with a win over West Brom in the League Cup on Wednesday. Neville said that leading United was a tremendous honor, “My hero was Bryan Robson and, as a massive United fan, it obviously means a lot. But just as I always said that I wanted my appearances for United to count for something, the most important thing is not that I am captain but whether the team wins a trophy. I have always said that the most important thing at this club is to be playing in a successful team," he said.

Rudd van Nistelrooy has also welcomed Neville's elevation to the top job and said, "Gary is the perfect captain for our team. He has been at the club his whole life and has won everything in football. He has great experience and is a great character, so you could not wish for any more in a captain." Ryan Gigs was also considered for the job, but Fergie decided to go along with Neville.

Manchester United also announced that Norway striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will start the game against the Liverpool reserve team on Monday. Solskjaer has been sidelined for the last 18 months with a knee injury.

More Sporting Stuff