City's Steph Houghton's class praised by Neville after horror news

Steph Houghton is due to captain England Women as they face friendlies against Brazil and Australia in the coming week, but manager Phil Neville has said that he will understand if the player decides against playing in the two fixtures, in light of the devastating events happening in her personal life.

Houghton's husband Stephen Darby, former professional footballer for Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers, has recently been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, forcing his retirement from the game effective immediately as he begins necessary treatment. 

Neville has confirmed that the decision to play in the upcoming England matches will ultimately fall to Houghton herself; "... Steph is now in charge of what she wants to do. If she wants to come on camp, she comes on camp; if she wants to train, she can train. But if she wants to go home, she goes home – football’s just a game. If Steph wants time off, we’ll support her.”

 

20 September 2018

England manager Phil Neville has also discussed about the wellbeing of captain Houghton in the wake of such cruel news, explaining; "Steph’s obviously not in a good place,” said Neville. “She’s had to deal with something that’s absolutely horrific but she’s dealt with it in class manner."

Neville's players even convened to discuss the matter, given the unprecedented gravity of the situation; “We’ve sat down and talked about it as a team.We all know that family – and family values – are far more important than kicking a ball around a football field."

Neville continued his support for skipper Houghton, saying; "Steph’s a wonderful, wonderful person and she’s gone up so much in my estimation; she’s been unbelievable in the last few weeks. Her leadership is incredible."

England Women are currently preparing to face Copa Sudamericana Femenina champions Brasil, and their iconic captain and current FIFA 'The Best' World Player of the Year, Marta, as well as Australia's Matildas this week.

And boss Neville has explained the importance of playing teams from different continents ahead of their World Cup appearance in France next summer; "“It’s absolutely imperative to play top teams from different continents,” he said. “I want to take my players out of their comfort zone and see if they’ve got what it takes to win a World Cup.“I hope that, by next summer, we’ve got confidence against these teams and know how to beat them...My squad are under no illusions about what it will take to get on that plane to France.”