Louis van Gaal warns Gary Neville of tough times ahead with Valencia

Gary Neville can be a success at Valencia despite having no playing or coaching experience in Spain, Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores has said.

The 40-year-old, an eight-time victor of the English Premier League and key member of the Manchester United side that won the league, FA Cup and Champions League treble in 1999, was unveiled at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium on Thursday as the club’s new coach, replacing Nuno Espirito Santo.

“It is a great opportunity for Gaz and knowing him well he is brilliant at whatever he does”, Scholes told BBC Sport.

“The last five years have been when I’ve needed to mature and to develop in order to have the confidence to take on a role of this stature”. “If he had advice for me then I think it would be ignorant of me to not take that on board”.

One of the criticisms levelled at the Nevilles’ British compatriot David Moyes, who was sacked by Real Sociedad last month, was that he failed to learn Spanish which affected his ability to communicate with the players.

“I love Valencia. I grew in Valencia”, the Spaniard said. Gaz likes to be in control wherever he is.

“When I received the call on Sunday evening about this job I thought “what an opportunity, what a challenge”.

“He is going to have to go into that full tilt and maybe start delegating a little bit”.

They are severely depleted by injuries and suspensions for tomorrow’s La Liga game at home to leaders and champions Barcelona before Neville’s first game in charge, Wednesday’s must-win Champions League game at home to Olympique Lyonnais.

“I talked to him afterwards and he gave me words of encouragement”.

Former Valencia winger Miguel Angel Angulo will also step up from his role as youth team coach to join Neville’s coaching staff, the Englishman added. The atmosphere and intimidation is something I want to harness.

“(I’ve been) managing businesses with hundreds of people in them, dealing with issues every single day, not on the football pitch, but off the football pitch. I’d been given mine but others – Gary included – had been missed out.

“He wants to play and he wants to come back as quickly as possible, but we will wait until the opinion of the medical staff”.

“What Gary doesn’t know, what Jamie, Steven and Frank doesn’t know, is how good a coach they could be”.

“There are many English speakers in the dressing room and among the staff. He’ll get a lot of support”.

Neville insisted he would treat the job at Valencia as a long-term project, even though he is only contracted until the end of the current campaign.