Neville not interested in big spending January

Valencia head coach Gary Neville hit out at football’s transfer obsession, claiming his focus in January will be on improving what he has, not spending big on new talent.

Expectations are high at Valencia after finishing fourth last season but Neville has faith in his young team with the transfer window set to reopen next month.

Valencia have won, drawn and lost in Neville’s first three games in charge and sit eighth in La Liga, and speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash against Getafe, the Englishman said: “Obviously in football you always have to be adaptable. You always have to be ready for anything.

“But my point of view, my focus is on the players that are here and getting the player that are injured back. Because I think when they do come back we have two players for every position.

“I have this big thing in football, this not just something in the past week; we’ve become obsessed with who we’re going to sign, who we would like to sign, who we do not have.

“It’s something I do not like. I don’t like it about modern football at all.”

Neville, a product of Manchester United’s youth academy, said he would rather have a team of players brought up, or signed young, through the club than build an expensive team.

“This obsession with players who are not at the club in football is something I find very hard to get used to. Maybe I’m a traditionalist, but I believe you can improve what you have, work with what you have,” Neville said.

“We have three young boys training with us today, travelling with us, what about them? They’ve come up from the academy, shall I just forget them? Just sign some new players? 

“I want it to be a hungry, young Valencia team who can stay together for two, three, four years and build themselves into being one of the best teams in this country and Europe.

“We’ve got the youngest squad in the league and I think that young players, more than any other set of players … need a medal around their neck.

“I remember in my own career the feeling of having that medal around your neck for the first time, the confidence and belief that gives you is incredible.”