Gary Neville has responded to claims that he ‘cried off’ Monday Night Football after Manchester United’s humiliating 4-1 loss to Liverpool in the English Premier League.
The former United defender and Sky Sports pundit was due to appear on the show alongside Jamie Carragher and host David Jones, but pulled out at the last minute.
The decision sparked speculation that Neville had ‘cried off’ the show in the wake of United’s heavy defeat, but the former England international has now taken to Twitter to explain his absence.
“I was due to do MNF last night but due to personal reasons I couldn’t make it,” Neville wrote. “I’m not one to cry off and I’m disappointed I couldn’t make it.”
The speculation surrounding Neville’s absence was further fuelled by the fact that he had been a vocal critic of United’s performance in the match, branding it “embarrassing” and “shocking”.
However, Neville has since clarified that his absence had nothing to do with the result, and that he had been dealing with a personal issue.
“I’m not one to shy away from criticism and I’m not one to hide away from the truth,” he wrote. “I’m a Manchester United fan and I’m disappointed with the result, but I had to deal with a personal issue which was more important.”
Neville’s absence from Monday Night Football was a blow to Sky Sports, who had been hoping to capitalise on the huge interest in the match.
However, the former United defender has since made it clear that his absence had nothing to do with the result, and that he had been dealing with a personal issue.
It remains to be seen whether Neville will return to the show in the near future, but for now it appears that the speculation surrounding his absence has been put to rest.
