Gary Neville played a crucial role when it came to negotiating Danny Simpson's contract at Manchester United.
Simpson, a Premier League winner with Leicester City, graduated from the United academy in 2006 and made three senior appearances under Sir Alex Ferguson before joining Newcastle.
The Eccles-born defender was an understudy to first-team regular Gary Neville throughout his seven-year spell at Old Trafford and during that time, Neville helped the teenage Simpson, both on and off the pitch.
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As well as giving him some helpful advice when it came to flourishing as a full-back, Neville actually negotiated his contract with Sir Alex.
Speaking on the Under The Cosh podcast, Simpson said: “He actually negotiated my contract with Sir Alex. Sir Alex didn’t like agents, he was scared of getting people involved.
“Gary Neville was helping me and I was learning from him. I spoke to him asking for advice and Neville offered to help. I got him to go in with me, so it was me Gary and Sir Alex chatting about my contract! I was like, ‘is this happening?’
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“Neville went in and said ‘Listen, he’s taking over from me. You’ve got to give him more than that [contract offer]. He got it bumped up. But I do look back now and I think maybe they were both in on it.”
Simpson added: “Listen, he helped me loads, I was there for a few years with him and I tried to base my game on how a full-back was back then. He told me ‘defend well and everything else is a bonus.’”
Last year, goalkeeper Ben Foster revealed how Neville used to negotiate his own United contracts without the help of an agent.
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In fact, Foster says he approached former United captain Neville for advice around contracts when he was due to sign a new deal at Old Trafford in the early years of his career.
The former England international goalkeeper says Neville told him to represent himself during those contract talks, insisting he did the same when discussing new deals with the club.
Foster said on talkSPORT: "When I was at Manchester United when I was younger, I remember I was up for a new contract and I actually grabbed Gary Neville and said 'Listen, I'm going for a new contract and I need a bit of advice'.
"He went 'who's your agent?' and I told him and he went 'why do you need an agent?
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"And I went 'well, I'm 23-years-old, I don't really want to be going in with Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill and trying to do my own contract'.
"He then said 'well, I do my own contracts' and I'm thinking 'well you're Gary Neville though'."
Foster added: "Isn't that the most Gary Neville thing you've ever heard in your life? But he said 'I'll sit in the room with them and say I'm worth this and there's no way they can tell me that you're not worth that'.
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"Because he can then say, 'What, am I not good enough then?', so he would do it that way.
"You've got to be a strong individual, you've got to know your stuff if you're going in for contract talks."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Manchester United, Premier League, Leicester City, Gary Neville, Sir Alex Ferguson
