David Beckham and Inter Miami look set to get their coach as reports out of England have surfaced that Phil Neville could take over the position come July. These plans may be altered as Inter Miami announced the departure of former coach Diego Alonso who according to the press release mutually agreed to part ways with the MLS club.
Neville is currently the England Women’s National team coach, and while he is set to leave his position in the middle of the year, if he is in fact Inter Miami’s top target it seems unlikely the club will wait until midseason to bring him on board. Neville and Beckham were former Manchester United and England teammates, they currently are a part of the ownership group of English fourth-division side Salford City. It was reported in England that Beckham himself spoke to Neville about the position.
Diego Alonso on the other hand ended his only year in charge of Inter Miami with a lukewarm record of 7-13-3, the team did make the playoffs but were quickly eliminated in the play-in round by Nashville SC. Alonso held a meeting with team owners at seasons end, he left the meeting feeling as if he was fired and went as far as communicating it to the players and staff. Inter Miami denied they had fired Alonso but that did not last long as Alonso left his position on January 7th, 2021 making him the first MLS coaching casualty of 2021.
Social Media reacts to Phil Neville possibly taking over Inter Miami
Inter Miami fans have had a rough go at it. The club’s first season was seesaw as the team started losing their first 5 games and only marginally improved during the course of the season. The signing of Gonzalo Higuaín calmed the waters but in reality, Higuaín scored only 1 goal in his 9 games with the team. Fans on social media did not meet with much enthusiasm the news that Neville could be the next coach.
As for Diego Alonso, the rollercoaster first season in charge of Inter Miami has ended just about where it started, with Inter Miami still being a project with no real formation. Alonso was never the clubs first choice as manager and his announcement as manager was met with relief rather than enthusiasm since it took the club a long time to get a coach in place.
