Gary Neville lashes out at Spanish press as pressure grows at Valencia

The Manchester United legend was unhappy with reports he berated his players after their most recent match

Valencia head coach Gary Neville (Getty Images)

Gary Neville has hit out at the Spanish press in a move that might signal the Manchester United legend is feeling the pressure at Valencia.

Since taking charge of the La Liga club in early December the former Sky Sports pundit has been unable to mastermind a victory in La Liga.

The latest league game saw his side scrape a draw against lowly Rayo Vallecano, with a late goal required to level the match at 2-2.

A report after the game claimed that Neville berated his players, with one reporter claiming the former defender had told them they were "not fit to wear the shirt".

Speaking ahead of Valencia's Copa del Rey meeting with Las Palmas, Neville denied he said such things and asked if the journalist who made the claim was in attendance, to which he was told they were not.

"Surprise surprise," said Neville.

"I accept anything that is said by the media but there is a line that is sometimes crossed.

"There was a report after the game that I said in the dressing room to the players that they are not fit to wear the shirt.

"This is wrong and it needs to be reported that it is wrong. It is absolutely not correct. There are a lot of young players and they do not need to be reading that."

Neville will be hopeful of a positive result in the first-leg of tonight's Copa del Rey tie, with the competition providing some respite from his club's league woes. Neville oversaw wins in both legs against Granada in the previous round and a win against lower league Barakaldo in the round before that.