Gary Neville has spoken out after he and his wife were subjected to verbal abuse by a stranger wielding a 'very aggressive dog' while walking through Manchester earlier this week. The former Manchester United defender detailed the incident on his Stick to Football podcast, expressing fear that the animal might be released upon them.
Incident Details
In a video that went viral on social media, the man is seen swearing at Neville repeatedly, calling him a 'f------ w-----' and a 'p----'. Neville, who stopped when his name was called, appeared bemused by the harassment. Reflecting on the encounter, he said: 'He had, I'm presuming, a very aggressive dog on a lead. I thought he was going to let the dog go. I thought it was one of them where he was gonna go like that [releasing the lead].'
Neville and his wife Emma had attended a James concert in Manchester alongside former teammate Roy Keane. 'That's the bit that's wrong,' Neville added. 'It's the first time it's happened like that, but when you're with your wife...'
Reactions from Co-hosts
Fellow pundits on the Stick to Football podcast condemned the abuse. Ian Wright described it as 'a mean one. It's just horrible,' while Jill Scott called it 'so out of order' and remarked that she would have hit the man. Neville also noted that he wished he had filmed the abuser to discourage him from posting the footage online.
