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Gary Neville returns to TV punditry role after Valencia stint

Gary Neville will return as a TV pundit this season following an unsuccessful first foray into management.

Sky Sports has announced that Neville will rejoin its coverage of the Premier League, just over a month after he was part of the coaching cull that followed England's failed Euro 2016 campaign.

Neville's first move into club management also ended badly as, in March, he was sacked after just four months in charge of Spanish club Valencia.

He then left his post as England assistant shortly after the shock round-of-16 defeat to Iceland.

"I am delighted to be rejoining Sky Sports and can't wait for the start of the new football season, especially as there will be a variety of new programming on the channel," Neville said in a Sky statement, which also announced that presenter Rachel Riley would join their team.

"It is important for me that my role will be slightly different, and I am looking forward to the challenge of working on some new, creative and exciting projects."

Neville won the prestigious RTS Award for his punditry in 2014 and 2015, but is now set to make a permanent return to the Monday Night Football slot, with Sky saying he would make "guest appearances" alongside former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.

After Carragher had joked that he was upset at Neville's return, the former United player wrote on Twitter: "Whilst away -- I lost a few games, but you lost half a million viewers and a presenter!!"

Neville had ruled out a return to coaching with Manchester United last month, telling The Sunday Times: "That's not going to happen. Before I went to Valencia, I created or owned four or five major projects and good businesses. I need to concentrate on them."

Neville has been working on a multi-million pound development in Manchester alongside Ryan Giggs.