Gary Neville to step aside from Sky Sports role as MNF absence explained

Gary Neville is dialling down his involvement in Monday Night Football on Sky Sports as he refocuses his career priorities.

The ex-Manchester United skipper is eager to dedicate more time to burgeoning ventures across the pond, including The Overlap US and contributing to NBC Sports' Premier League broadcasts.

Neville stepped into the role of match analyst for MNF at the beginning of the 2011/12 season, filling the shoes of Andy Gray. In two year's time, he started co-hosting with Ed Chamberlin, and Jamie Carragher came on board in 2015.

The duo of Carragher and Neville has been a steadfast fixture, offering contrasting opinions that often lead to animated debates. Yet, Neville has been notably absent from MNF since last August, with Carragher taking more of a leading role.

Speaking to Rebecca Lowe on the Overlap US YouTube channel, Neville remarked: "So tomorrow, I'm expected to do set-pieces, whereas with Sky, on Monday Night Football, there are some set pieces which I prepare for - but now I don't do Monday Night Football anymore, I don't do set-pieces any more," reports the Mirror.

Having started to take a step back from MNF in the previous year, Neville has paved the way for Carragher to steer the show a change that's become increasingly apparent this season.

While Neville might grace the show occasionally moving forward, MNF will pivot towards featuring an array of special guests rather than centring on the erstwhile partnership between Neville and Carragher.

It's been revealed that Neville might occasionally be utilised for co-commentary, but he may not always share the studio with Carragher and other pundits.

Despite this, Neville remains a key figure among Sky's football pundits. He'll continue to feature on their Friday Night Football, Saturday Night Football and Super Sunday broadcasts, while also contributing to other Sky Sports Football projects.

In a joint venture between Sky Sports and NBC, Neville is slated to host NBC Sports' Premier League coverage every Sunday of the 2024/25 season. However, it's understood that his primary role will be through his live appearances for Sky Sports.

Sky Sports is in the process of finalising plans for Neville to operate from NBC's live studio in New York for up to four weekends this season, including two appearances before Christmas. English fans needn't worry about missing his top-notch coverage, as the selected dates are not expected to coincide with any major Premier League showdowns.