Neville plots World Cup glory for England women

LONDON: England manager Phil Neville has hailed the ongoing revolution in the women’s game as he fine-tunes his preparations for the World Cup in France.

The women’s boss named his squad on Wednesday for the tournament that starts on June 7, with sports stars, musicians and even Football Association president Prince William announcing the 23-strong group player by player via social media.

Neville, whose team are grouped with Scotland, Argentina and Japan, said it was a “special period for women’s football” as he talked about finding the balance between growing the game and winning matches.

“It’s been a constant learning curve for me over the last 16 months because ultimately we’re in a cut-throat win business and going to this World Cup wanting to win,” he said. “There is a development, a growth that we need to keep pushing,” he added.

“I need to keep exposing my players to the things that we ask them to do in terms of social media stuff, the coaching in schools, the media stuff that they’re doing at the moment. The England boss said the best way to inspire the next generation of players would be to win in France and he believes he has a good mix of experience and youthful zest.