Phil Neville looks to 'grab hold of new opportunities' as Valencia exit nears

Phil Neville is moving on from Valencia after the Spanish club appointed Pako Ayestaran as its permanent head coach for the 2016-17 season.

Neville, who held the role of assistant coach during the last two years at the Estadio Mestalla, was a member of his brother Gary Neville's coaching staff last season and stayed on after Gary was let go by the club, though he did not travel with the team afterward.

Now, Neville is looking for new opportunities.

"I think obviously with the naming of Pako as the manager, I think I will be leaving the club and looking for other opportunities," Neville told PA Sport, according to Sky Sports. "There are opportunities out there and that is where we are at. It has been a fantastic year but, you know, in football new managers come in, they want to bring their own staff.

"It's football. Hopefully in the future when I am a manager, I will want to bring my own staff with me. That is the case now and it's time for me to leave Valencia and to grab hold of other opportunities that are going to come my way."

Despite moving on, Neville says he'll always have fond memories of his time at Valencia.

"It has been one of the best experiences - and not just of my footballing career," he said. "It is a magical, magical city, a fantastic football club; and La Liga is the best league in the world to work in.

"I loved every minute of it. To come away from the experience with a language under your belt, with the experience that I've had this year would probably take people five years to experience."