England Women to open Euro 2021 campaign with 'dream' date at Old Trafford

England will play the first game as hosts of the European Championships next summer at Old Trafford much to the delight of manager Phil Neville who wants his players to embrace the pressure that it will bring.

Neville spent the best years of his career at Manchester United as a player and was also a coach at Old Trafford under David Moyes. He hopes the move to the big stadiums next summer will bring out the best in those who make the squad.

The Football Association have been criticised for the fact there will be no games north of Manchester at the Euros, although they have tried to shift the blame on to local councils in the North East, but the decision to begin the tournament outside of London will be welcomed.

“I was there the other day the other day with the trophy for the photo call and it will be amazing,” said Neville, who takes England to the USA next week to defend their SheBelieves title.

“Thinking about the planning of the tournament, it probably started five or six years ago and the level of the stadium we were looking was to get as many people as possible into a smaller type stadium and now we're thinking Old Trafford for the first game of the Euros.

“I think we should all be proud of the work that's being done. It is a brave and correct decision by the FA, to say the game has gone so far so let's take it to a bigger place.

“I think it will be one of those occasions you will remember for a long, long time in your career. When the players find out, I think particularly the younger ones who want to be involved in Euro 2021, when they go to the gym and we ask them to do 10 reps, I hope they go and do 12 or 14 instead because now it is the real deal. To get to Euro 2021, they know there is a big carrot there and it is so exciting.”

“We are going to have to handle that. If you want to play for England and be successful, those are the days, the types of occasions that you should be excited about, motivated for and dream about.”

Neville has never shied away building this England team up and having taken them to the semi-finals of the World Cup last year, he will be expected to make the final of the Euros, at the very least.

“I heard stuff the other day about having a Euros in your home nation,” he added. “And the pressures, expectations and all those negative things.

“But it’s at home, we should be seeing it as a massive advantage for our players to go out there with 75,000 England supporters.

“What we have to do now - which started in Middlesbrough in terms of our programme over the next 12 months – is to expose our players to big occasions so when they come to Old Trafford it’s just like another occasion – it’s like going into your grandmother’s front room, having a cup of tea. That’s how it should be.

“The games next year will reflect the venues we hope to choose from – it’s all part of the process.”

Women’s football remains a little unsure of itself on the big stage in this country, with average crowds in the Women’s Super League still below the 1,000 mark. England, though, are the main driving force for change with 14 million people tuning in for the semi-final in Lyon last summer.

“I think it’s easier to sell – going to a game at Old Trafford because there’s that excitement,” Neville added. “There’s probably parents of young children that have dreamt of going to Old Trafford. That’s why it’s such an exciting occasion.

“You hope the spin off from that is that they want to go to Leigh Sports Village [Manchester United Women’s home ground] when the [domestic] season starts after. That’s the spin-off and we’ve not quite had that at some of the venues for WSL games.

“We have still seen sell-out crowds at Boreham Wood and Kingsmeadow. It’s a fantastic atmosphere at Kingsmeadow, I love going there. It’s what a football ground should be like.

“We are getting there in terms of atmosphere. Occasions like we are having in the WSL, at Wembley, at Middlesbrough and soon Old Trafford, inspires people to go to the stadiums for their home clubs.”