Gary Neville and Ryan Lowe exchange reveals Man United legend's old approach for Preston boss

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has revealed that Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe turned down the chance to manage Salford City.

Neville is part of the Class of 92, whom hold ownership of the League Two side. During his tenure at the Peninsula Stadium, it has come to light that Neville made a move for Lowe. The pair’s conversation was shown on the latest episode of The Overlap’s series, Stick to Football. Lowe phoned co-host, Jamie Carragher, while the episode was being recorded.

Offering a light-hearted response as to why he rejected Neville’s offer, Lowe said to ex-Liverpool and England star Carragher: “I had to wait to see how you got on well with him first, I couldn’t be the only Scouser working for him!”

As to exactly when Lowe was on Neville's radar remained unclear. He began his managerial career with Bury in 2017, taking over for a caretaker stint before being appointed as their permanent manager. He got the Shakers promoted in his first full season in management, but the club ceased to exist shortly after.

Lowe took the manager's job at Plymouth Argyle as Bury faced their demise and guided the Pilgrims to a League Two play-off place in the 2019/20 season. He managed the Home Park outfit in League One for half a season, before taking charge of PNE in December 2021. As for Salford, they appointed PNE legend Graham Alexander when Anthony Johnson and Bernard Morley were dismissed.

Alexander guided the club to the Football League for the first time in their history. He was replaced by Richie Wellens in 2020, who won the EFL Trophy before Gary Bowyer took over. Neil Wood was in charge last season and a chunk of the current campaign, before being replaced by Karl Robinson.