Gary Neville explains why he refused to sing the England national anthem

Gary Neville has explained why he refused to sing God Save the Queen in his early days as an England player – a decision he has since described as a "big mistake".

The former Manchester United defender, who earned 85 caps for his country, was met by a torrent of criticism last year after he criticised "angry, middle-aged white men" for fueling social divisions in the UK.

Neville also claimed in a video posted to LinkedIn, which was uploaded following the Yom Kippur terrorist attack at a Manchester synagogue, that he removed a Union Jack flag from a building site he owns because it was put up for "negative" reasons.

"Quite clearly, it's sending a message, to everybody, that there is something you don't like," he said after bringing up the flag incident.

"The Union Jack flag being used in a negative fashion is not right, and I'm a proud supporter of England, Great Britain, of our country, and I will champion it anywhere around the world as being one of the greatest places to live."

As a result of his comments, Neville's patriotism was questioned and videos of him refusing to sing the national anthem emerged online.

Gary Neville explains why he refused to sing England national anthem

Neville has previously explained that he chose not to sing God Save The Queen in his early days as an England player to make a point following a conversation with then-FA chairman Geoff Thompson.

The former full-back did not sing the anthem when he appeared at Euro 1996.

"I didn't sing it the first time I played for England. Partly because I thought, I'm serious about my work and I'm not singing before a game," he said, as per The Mirror.

"He [Thompson] only ever sought out one conversation with me. Did he want to pick my brains on World Cup preparation? Or ask how the FA could help behind the scenes? No, Mr Thompson wanted to know why I didn't sing the National Anthem."

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Earlier this month, Neville once again addressed his refusal to sing England's national anthem during a sit-down chat with former Manchester United teammate Rio Ferdinand.

Speaking to Ferdinand on his YouTube channel, Neville brought up the Thompson incident.

"Me and Steve McManaman didn't sing the National Anthem in the first game of Euro 96, and we didn't sing it in any of the games.

"I always remember an FA councillor came up to me after the game in the dressing room. I can't remember his name now – it might have been Geoff Thompson, maybe the chairman – and he said, 'Sing the National Anthem'.

"You can imagine an FA councillor coming up to me telling me to sing the National Anthem. I'm not being told what to do. People might think whatever they want, but I'm not being told what to do by an FA councillor. I dug my heels in, I was stubborn, and I didn't do it.

"But now, when I was a coach for England, and even now – for instance, at the Carabao Cup final two weeks ago when City were playing Arsenal and the National Anthem was being sung – I'm singing it.

"So I would sing it now in the summer when England play in a tournament. I now see the way in which it's interpreted."