Flores advises Neville to ignore Valencia´s outside influences

Quique Sanchez Flores has urged new Valencia head coach Gary Neville to ignore outside influences and concentrate on the aspects he can improve at the Mestalla.

Flores – manager of Premier League outfit Watford – played for Valencia for 10 years before a two-year spell in charge of the club and has a clear idea of what the England assistant should expect from his time at the helm.

Neville must be prepared for high expectations from supporters, as well as the potential for disputes within his squad, according to the 50-year-old Spaniard.

“The atmosphere in Valencia is not easy to manage,” Flores said.

“So, if I had to say to Gary Neville what he will find in Valencia, I will say: ‘Gary, concentrate on the team, because there are a lot of things that you can’t control’. It is impossible to control the passion of the fans.

“They love the players, but every time there is like internal fighting and this is disturbing the work of everyone inside the club.”

He added: “They [the fans] are used to being champions, winning trophies in the last 15 years. They need to solve the troubles. They need to separate this period and they need to come back to the top of the league.”

Flores admits there is a lot for the former Manchester United defender to take on and encouraged Neville to accept the cultural differences in order to settle abroad.

“He needs to adapt as quickly as possible to the Spanish culture because it is completely different to England – the style of football, the philosophy, the speed of play, the mentality of the fans, the culture of the media,” he said.

“Learn as quick as possible, open eyes, open ears, open your mind to absorb as quickly as possible the mentality of the country.

“If I am training in England for two years, six months, or one year and I don’t speak one word in English, of course you are thinking I am not interested to know English people.

“It is very important to talk because I need to get to their hearts, not just the blackboard talking about the magnetics, the tactics, the space, the strategy.”