Gary Neville says players should not be entitled to a break on Christmas Day.
Neville — ranked No.10 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best Premier League defenders of all time — won countless honours during his time at Manchester United, including eight Premier League titles and two Champions League successes.
But it is the attitudes of modern-day clubs which have irked the Sky Sports pundit, stating how the time off permitted to players nowadays does leave something of a sour taste in his mouth.
Gary Neville says there should be no exceptions for players having Christmas Day off
“That [giving players the day off on Christmas Day] should never happen,” said Neville who was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet
“If you’ve got a game boxing day, you train properly on Christmas day. We [Manchester United] always trained on Christmas Day – we never missed it. The fans are still coming the next day [Boxing Day] and the points are still the same.”
It has perhaps been hinted that players are now allowed a day off to spend with their families on Christmas Day, with 16 teams in Premier League action on Boxing Day. Amazon Prime Sport is the 2024/25 broadcast holder for the selected fixtures this season.
Manchester United visit Wolves and Liverpool host Leicester City. Manchester City are involved in the early kick-off against Everton, with Chelsea also featuring in a West London derby against Fulham.
Some teams, including perhaps Aston Villa this year, may have to spend Christmas Day away from home given that their training and travel to Newcastle will have to be factored in.
Neville’s comments do seem a little old-fashioned, but there is other periods across the footballing calendar where footballers are allowed an extended time of leave from their clubs.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Neville is right to point out that in hindsight the football calendar isn’t forgiving and the Boxing Day fixtures do hold the same amount of points value as any other gameweek.
Looking to get your football fix over the festive period? Follow our handy guide on how to watch Premier League action wherever you are in the world.