<
>

England boss Neville to leave in 2021 amid poor form - sources

The Football Association are keen to begin succession-planning with the exit of Phil Neville as England women's manager set to be announced, sources have told ESPN.

The 43-year-old is not seeking an extension to his existing deal, despite the delay of two major tournaments as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

- Stream new episodes of ESPN FC Monday-Friday on ESPN+
- Stream every episode of 30 for 30: Soccer Stories on ESPN+
- ESPN's Insider Notebook: Arsenal in the UCL? Forget it

Neville was due to lead Team GB into this summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo before taking charge of England at the Women's Euros in 2021 on home soil.

However, the spread of Covid-19 forced the postponement of the Olympics until next year with the Euros pushed back until 2022.

An exact date for the rescheduled Olympics is yet to be confirmed but organisers are hopeful they will take place next summer, meaning Neville's final involvement with the Lionesses could be at that competition.

Sources have told ESPN that it was always Neville's intention to stand down at the end of his contract and the change in the fixture calendar has not altered his thinking.

Instead, the FA are keen to identify one manager to take them through the next flurry of tournaments which also include the 2023 World Cup.

They are expected to begin drawing up a shortlist of possible candidates in the coming weeks after opting to persevere with Neville despite a downturn in results.

Neville, the former England men's international and Manchester United defender, was appointed in January 2018 on a three-and-a-half year contract and led England to a maiden SheBelieves Cup success before securing a fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Cup.

However, they have lost seven of their last 11 games and were dumped out of the SheBelieves Cup this year after losing to the United States and Spain. Against the latter they failed to register a single shot on target.