Neville: Valencia deserves the #7 shirt

After 19 years at the club and 400 appearances, it’s fair to say that Gary Neville knows United. During a career spanning nearly two decades, Neville played alongside numerous famous United #7?s, including Eric Cantona and Cristiano Ronaldo. But Neville believes current #7 holder Antonio Valencia thoroughly deserves to wear it after being awarded with it for excellent performances over the last few years.

“He’s been a fantastic signing for United and thoroughly deserves that no.7 shirt,” Neville told ManUtd.com. “Having played with him for a year or two, I can tell you he’s a brilliant footballer, especially to play behind as a right-back. He does the right things at the right time, he works back to help out when you don’t have the ball, he delivers good crosses and he can beat a man.”

Neville added, “He’s a real handful to play against and I was really pleased to see him score a few more goals last season. That’s probably the only area of the game in which you’d like to see an improvement. He has a wonderful shot and he stays calm under pressure. I’d love to see him chip in with 10 or 15 goals this season – he’s more than capable of doing that.”