Wednesday 2 December 2015 21:17, UK
Gary Neville has taken his first step into management at La Liga outfit Valencia.
The former Manchester United defender, who has been working as an England coach and award-winning analyst for Sky Sports since his retirement in 2011, has signed a five-month contract as the Spanish club's head coach and will be unveiled on Thursday.
But what can he expect at Valencia? Here, we examine the current state of affairs at the club and the challenges facing the new man in charge.
What's happened at Valencia this season?
Neville's predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo announced his departure in the wake of a 1-0 defeat by Sevilla on Sunday. The Portuguese coach led Valencia to a fourth-placed finish in La Liga last season, but he has left them in ninth after a poor start to the new campaign.
Los Che have only won five of their 13 league games and are five points behind Celta Vigo in fourth place. Performances have largely been disappointing in Europe too.
Valencia were drawn in a relatively easy Champions League group along with Zenit St Petersburg, Gent and Lyon, but even a win in their final game against Lyon might not be enough to send them through after they lost three of their first five fixtures.
Valencia fans have been unhappy with the club on a number of fronts this season, from owner Peter Lim's summer signings to Nuno's refusal to play former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo. Neville has plenty of issues to address.
What are Neville's first fixtures?
Neville will not be present at Valencia's Copa del Rey clash with third-tier Barakaldo on Wednesday evening, but he will be watching on from the stands when Barcelona visit the Mestalla live on Sky Sports 2 HD on Saturday evening.
It will be a good opportunity for the 40-year-old to see the scale of the task in hand against a side who have scored 22 goals and conceded just once in their last six games.
Neville's first game in charge will be next Wednesday's crucial Champions League tie against Lyon, with Valencia requiring at least a draw to have any chance of reaching the last 16.
His first La Liga game in charge comes away to eighth-placed Eibar on Sunday, December 13, and they then face relegation battlers Getafe after the second leg of their cup clash against Barakaldo.
Who are Valencia's star players?
Despite Valencia's struggles and the sale of star defender Nicolas Otamendi to City last summer, there is still quality in their ranks. Neville will be hoping to coax the best out of Negredo up front, and he will also be encouraged by the presence of 22-year-old Spain international Paco Alcacer.
The Valencia youth product is their top scorer with six goals this season, and he netted 14 times in each of the previous two campaigns. Alcacer has hit six goals in 11 appearances since breaking into the Spain squad last season, and he has reportedly attracted interest from Chelsea.
Elsewhere, German centre-back Shkodran Mustafi, who previously spent time at Everton, has emerged as one of La Liga's most highly-rated defenders since joining Valencia from Sampdoria in 2014. The 23-year-old has helped them cope with Otamendi's exit, with Valencia conceding just 10 goals in 13 games - the second-best defensive record in the division.
At left-back, Valencia have another young Spaniard who is admired by Premier League clubs in Jose Luis Gaya. The 20-year-old excelled after breaking into the team last season and signed a new contract in the summer despite interest from Real Madrid.
What are the expectations?
The days of winning La Liga titles under Rafael Benitez may be long gone, but Valencia are regarded as one of the closest competitors to Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, and they are expected to challenge for a European spot.
Valencia are traditionally one of the biggest clubs in Spain and have finished in the top four in four of the last six seasons. Neville has plenty of work to do to pull them back up to those heights.
Watch Valencia v Barcelona live on Sky Sports 2 HD from 7.30pm on Saturday
