Inter Miami CF does have a lot of young players and that includes the son of head coach Phil Neville. He plays the same position, a defender, which his father once did in the Premier League. Phil says he doesn’t play any favorites when it comes to his son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You probably haven’t heard of Harvey Neville. Inter Miami fans know Phil, who’s in his second year as head coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phil’s message to his son Harvey was brutally honest when he first joined the club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“You’re gonna work harder than everybody else because everybody’s looking at you,” Phil said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harvey has been a reserve for his father’s team this season. Nineteen-year-old Neville gets most of his playing time starting for Inter’s second division team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I think there’s obviously different standards,” Harvey said. “When I’m with the first I’m just trying to prove myself, prove that I’m good enough to be there, and when I’m with the second team I’m trying to inspire younger players as well.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harvey understands the pressure that comes with being Phil’s son. Before coming to Inter, Harvey played for Manchester United’s development team. Phil once played in the Premier League for ManU. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In England, the media is that severe that you know, ‘You’re on this stuff cause of your dad or your uncle,'” said Phil. “Everywhere he went, he was there to be shot at, but I think that was an important period for him to toughen up, to realize the expectations on him.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phil said the father-son relationship is just that — at home. Once Harvey is on the field, it all changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I think I got to the point now where I can tell what he’s thinking, so if he’s angry, I tend to look away,” said Harvey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“He probably understands me more than anything because he spent all his life with me, and we’re really close and he’s one of my best friends at home,” Phil said. “He’s maturing into a really good boy. He’s maturing into a really good footballer.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of Phil’s proudest moments with his son this season came when Harvey scored a goal in a preseason game with the top team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“For a split second, there was a proud dad on the touch line and I can’t hide away from that fact. At the end of the day, I have to treat him probably harder than anybody else for him to earn his stripes,” said Phil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This is the best time of my career I’ve had so far. I love playing under my dad. He’s my biggest critic and I feel like he has to be harder on me than anyone else,” said Harvey. “I think that’s natural how it is with a father-son relationship, really.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is another father-son connection with Inter Miami CF. Romeo Beckham, the son of co-owner David Beckham, is also a reserve for the top team and plays for the second division team. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"