Gary Neville has shared a memorable encounter with Liverpool boss Arne Slot that left a lasting impression, with the unexpected meet-up happening in Manchester on Christmas Eve while the pair did some last-minute shopping.
Speaking on The Overlap USA, the Manchester United legend recounted the serendipitous moment he spotted Slot casually browsing Selfridges, reflecting on how the future Premier League-winning manager exuded humility and revealed a thoughtful aspect away from soccer.
Neville was taken aback to see Slot immersed in the regular festive rush, offering insights into the person behind the managerial facade. Neville praised Slot’s grounded nature and described the interaction as enlightening, particularly the ease with which Slot navigated the public space.
“I’m not sure I’ve told this story before but on Christmas Eve, I go out into Manchester every single year,” Neville said. “This year I went into Selfridges for some last-minute shopping and who is in there? Arne Slot.
“I’m thinking, ‘Is that Arne Slot over there?’. It was the second floor, the women’s floor, in the shoe section. He was with his wife and daughter. I walked past him and had a couple of minutes talking to him.”
In a world where the stature of being a football manager often comes with a hefty dose of ego, Slot’s unaffected presence struck a chord with Neville. “It struck me straight away how humble and normal he was,” he said.
(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
“But it taught me a lot about him in terms of humility, there are a lot of people who build up the role of being a professional football player or manager. They build it up as if they can’t go out and do normal things.
“Can you imagine how many people in football, on Christmas Eve — particularly the Liverpool manager – who would say they don’t think it would be a good idea to go out in Manchester? They might get mithered.
“But he’s out there, and I thought it told me a lot about him. It’s how I’ve always seen people who feel that they don’t have to change what they are. I hope he never wins another football match ever again. But the fact of the matter is, he’s done a great job.”
Neville, who initially predicted Liverpool would miss out on Champions League qualification after Slot took over, has since been full of praise for the ex-Feyenoord boss. He hailed Slot’s maiden Premier League campaign as one of the “best coaching performances” after Liverpool clinched the title with a 5-1 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur in late April.
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“I think he’s done an absolutely brilliant job, honestly,” he said on the Gary Neville Podcast. “I think that at the start of the season — none of us can rewrite history — there weren’t many Liverpool fans who thought they would win the league, let alone anybody else.
“I don’t remember any pundit or analyst or journalist or fan really saying Liverpool will win the league. It was Manchester City or Arsenal. So to do what they’ve done is very special. Over a season, the coaching performance of Arne Slot is one of the best we’ve seen.
“And I say that in light of whom he took over from. One of the greatest personalities and characters we’ve seen in the Premier League, a Liverpool icon and legend. Going into that dressing room and having to establish control and authority, but knowing he probably could never do it the same way as Jurgen Klopp.
“No one can be the same personality and character as he was. But the way in which all season he’s coped with the conversations around the contracts, he’s dealt with those conversations. They’ve then signed two, I think the most important two of those players, Van Dijk and Salah, in the last couple of weeks.
“It’s also the way in which he’s kept calm and composed at points where maybe it’s not gone as well for them as he would have wanted.”
Liverpool.com says: Slot has done a brilliant job and he is clearly very well suited to the role that he has taken on. Every time he speaks, he comes across very well.
