David Beckham opens up on the phone call that saw him sack former Manchester United team-mate Phil Neville, admitting ‘he knew it was coming’ because Inter Miami ‘weren’t quite right’ on the pitch

• David Beckham discussed the decision to sack his former team-mate in June 
• Beckham sacked Neville and brought in Tata Martino as Inter Miami head coach
• Despite a strong work ethic, Inter Miami were struggling and sat in last place

Inter Miami president David Beckham has reflected on the phone call in which he sacked Phil Neville as manager.

Beckham and Neville were team-mates for many years at Manchester United and the former defender was appointed as Inter Miami manager in January 2021.

However, last month Beckham made the decision to sack Neville, with Inter Miami in last place in the Eastern Conference.

Although there isn’t any relegation in MLS Beckham felt that something wasn’t right on the pitch and that a change needed to be made.

Beckham appointed Tata Martino, who previously managed new Inter Miami star Lionel Messi for both Barcelona and Argentina. 

Beckham and Neville played together on 277 occasions, taking into account games for United and England. 

Commenting on the decision to sack Neville, Beckham detailed the choice to appoint him in the first place and praised his work ethic.

Beckham told The Athletic: ‘Yes, we have a great brand, but the most important thing is what we do on the pitch. Unfortunately as an owner, you realise you have to make tough decisions. We had Diego Alonso in the first season and scraped through to the play-offs (by finishing 10th in the 14-club Eastern Conference).

‘I thought it was the right time to make a change. I felt culturally we weren’t quite there and I went back to my roots. I went back to what I know and to thinking, ‘We need someone in this building who is going to be over everything – turn up at 6am and leave at 7pm, work, bring a culture and give everything, not just to Inter Miami, but to the city and really dive in with his family. That’s exactly what Phil did.’

Beckham spoke highly of Neville’s ‘seriousness’ but added that a change needed to be made. 

‘I’ve known Phil for a long, long time, so bringing him in was an important move and he did an incredible job over the couple of years he was here, with the players and the staff. He brought a seriousness that we didn’t have. But on the field, we weren’t quite right and, unfortunately, we felt there needed to be a change.’

Beckham added that Neville reacted professionally to the decision to sack him. He said: ‘he knew it was coming and took it like a gentleman’.

In addition, Beckham says that he wants better results, although he understands that patience is required.

Furthermore, he commented that having one manager in charge for a lengthy spell, as was the case with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, would be hugely beneficial.

Beckham said: ‘I’m not embarrassed because we’ve come a long way and I’ve realised things of value can take time to build. But I want to be better, I don’t want to look at the league table and always think, ‘Are we going to win tonight?’. 

‘Because I spend most of my time in London, I’m sat up at 2am watching the games and when we lose it’s frustrating. I don’t enjoy being bottom of the league, I want better results, but I do also understand that there needs to be a certain amount of patience.

‘I said to Jorge (Mas, Inter Miami owner) from day one: the reason Manchester United were so successful is because there was stability. I had one manager throughout my whole career there and that stability runs through the whole club. So when we bring a coach in, I feel that coach should be here for the next 10 years. That’s the way that we’re going to have success.’

The signing of Messi could certainly have a major impact in terms of improving Inter Miami’s fortunes.

Messi has scored three goals in his first two games for the club, while his former Barcelona team-mates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have also joined.