Phil Neville forced to issue apology in first act as Portland Timbers manager after supporter concerns

PHIL NEVILLE was forced to apologise for previous controversial tweets about women on social media.

The former Manchester United star pleaded his case after being appointed manager of MLS outfit Portland Timbers.

However, there were concerns over his hiring as a fan group was said to be "deeply disappointed".

Neville, 46, addressed the posts in his press conference after being named the Timbers boss.

He said: "I think I addressed these in 2018 when I was appointed the head coach of the England Women's team.

"They are by no means a reflection of me as a person or of me as a character and without a shadow of a doubt the way I was brought up by my mother and father in terms of values that they instilled in me.

"The tweets that I put out were wrong in 2011, and they're wrong today.

"So I want to get to know the Timbers Army and all the everybody in the city and I want them to get to know me as a person.

"I want to make sure there is an incredible trust between us and the main thing is we have a common goal, that we want to be successful and we want to win."

The posts included jokes about having "battered" his wife although he did eventually delete them

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Another suggested that women would be too "busy making breakfast/getting kids ready" to see his messages.

In 2018, former FA chief executive Martin Glenn said Neville's tweets do not "meet the threshold for issuing a charge".

Neville had been out of work since being sacked by Inter Miami in June.

He has signed a contract with his new club that will run until 2026.

He has been backed for success by Portland general manager Ned Grabavoy.

He added: "The most intriguing thing when we looked at Phil was how diverse his coaching background was.

"The longer we went through the process, the more we got to know Phil, the more people we spoke to, it's [the tweet] just not indicative of his character."