Former Manchester United defender Phil Neville is on track to be appointed as new manager of the Portland Timbers.
In June, a report covered by The Peoples Person revealed that Inter Miami owner and United legend David Beckham made the decision to sack Neville.
This came after a run of poor results at Inter Miami that made Neville’s continued stay as club boss untenable.
According to The Athletic, Neville is firmly the leading candidate to take over the reins at Providence Park, the home of Portland Timbers. Parties concerned are said to be in “advanced talks” to get everything over the line.
“The deal is not totally done or signed yet, with final details still to be sorted out, but Neville is expected to be named coach.”
“Portland is in talks to potentially bring Jason Kreis with Neville as an assistant. The club is also in talks to retain Miles Joseph on the staff as well.”
This summer, Portland parted ways with Gio Savarese, who had coached the MLS outfit for five-and-a-half seasons.
It’s understood that there were a host of other clubs in the United States keen on hiring Neville, but all signs point to the fact that Portland have beat their rivals to his signature.
The former United man is set to have his hands full after taking charge, with Portland planning for a massive player overhaul in the winter. Several high-profile players are expected to depart in an effort to build a team that compliments record-signing Evander.
Several individuals were considered before finally settling on Neville.
The Athletic states, “Additional candidates to make it to the final round of the coaching search included Joseph, Robin Fraser, Dome Torrent, Ezra Hendrickson and others.”
During his spell at Old Trafford, Neville won an incredible six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League.
He was part of the Red Devils’ all-conquering 1999 treble side. After United, the 46-year-old joined Everton where he chalked up 303 appearances.