Back to the Manchester United Newsfeed

'He was a cricketing genius. If he had carried on playing he could have been England's Sachin Tendulkar': Andrew Flintoff believes Phil Neville could have been a cricket great if he had rejected Manchester United to join Lancashire

Former England cricket star Andrew Flintoff believes England lost out on cricketing genius when Phil Neville chose a football career instead.

The current England women's football coach played alongside former all-rounder Flintoff for Lancashire's age-group sides, and also went on to make an appearance for their second XI.

But Neville then turned his focus towards football, and after breaking through at Manchester United's academy, went on to win six Premier League titles alongside brother Gary, as well as numerous other trophies including the Champions League in United's treble-winning season of 1998-99.