Ex-Reds Respect For Gary

Great servants from United's past have paid tribute to Gary Neville following his retirement from football.

Lou Macari and Arthur Albiston spoke exclusively to ManUtd.com as the news spread on Wednesday evening - here's a transcript of what they told us:

Lou Macari (United midfielder, 1973-84)

"Without a doubt, Gary Neville has been one of the club’s greatest ever players, certainly in the top ten or twenty.

"When you saw the important games coming around, the ones that really meant something, and the trophies were at stake, Gary was always determined and dogged, and everything you want in a player, to make sure it happened for him and for his team-mates.

"I’ve got to say there aren’t enough Gary Nevilles in the game. If there were, the game would be better. A lot of the youngsters would be better off listening to and watching players like Gary Neville and picking up good habits from him.

"Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are a dying breed and it really is sad to see that quality and that type of person and player departing the scene.

"When great players have left in the past, we’ve always doubted whether they can be replaced – but they have been. I’m not so sure you can replace the three boys I’ve been talking about and you can throw the manager in with them as well. I don’t care who comes along in the next couple of years to replace Sir Alex, Ryan, Paul and Gary. To replace them to the same level of consistency is not going to happen unfortunately."

Arthur Albiston (United defender, 1974-88)

"Gary’s stopped playing at the very top level. Credit to him for that – it’s not easy to play for Manchester United for almost 20 years, until you’re almost 36 years of age. He’s had a tremendous career.

"I don’t think many people saw Gary’s retirement coming. At least not yet. I thought we might see him call it a day at the end of the season, just because he’s not played an awful lot of football this term. But perhaps he feels he can no longer give the sort of performances that are required at Manchester United.

"It’s a very difficult decision to retire and at the end of the day you’re the only person who knows when the time is right to stop playing.

"I just hope everybody realises how fortunate we’ve been to have watched him. Gary was one of the most consistent performers in the English league for many, many seasons and could always be relied upon in big games. He’s admitted on many occasions that he isn’t the most naturally gifted footballer, but I think he sells himself a bit short: you don’t play more than 600 games for the biggest club in the world without being a top, top player.

"It’s a sad day and I know a lot of United fans will be upset. Fans of other clubs? I’m not so sure! Gary always wore his heart on his sleeve and made no secret of his love for United. You could see how much it meant to Gary whenever the club won trophies. We’ll miss him, that’s for sure."