Class of 92 united at Neville funeral

The Class of 92 were united in mourning at the funeral of Neville Neville, the father of former Manchester United footballers Gary and Phil.

David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Nicky Butt joined family and friends to pay their respects to Neville who died from a heart attack earlier this month.

A crowd also gathered outside Bury Parish Church and broke into applause when the hearse arrived.

The two brothers were among the pallbearers who carried the coffin in, followed by their tearful sister Tracey, the England netball head coach, who held the hand of her mother, Jill.

Other famous names from the world of football who attended included former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson, ex-Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce, Hull City boss Steve Bruce, and Everton defender Phil Jagielka.

Players, management, and staff from Bury FC arrived in a coach to pay tribute to Neville, a former commercial manager, director, and ambassador at the League One club.

Neville, 65, was a leading light in the Save Our Shakers appeal which helped stave off bankruptcy in 2002, while wife Jill is the club secretary at Gigg Lane.

Neville died in hospital in Sydney, Australia, on August 7 after collapsing from a heart problem.

He was travelling with daughter Tracey for the Netball World Cup when he was taken seriously ill.

Neville was said to have played a formative part in the early stages of his sons’ careers and that of the other four famous members of the so-called Class of 92 which triumphed in the FA Youth Cup of that year and later won the 1999 Champions League trophy.

Among floral tributes was one in the shape of a football from Bury FC in the club’s blue and white colours.

The message simply read “From all at Bury Football Club”.

Poems were read by Phil and Gary. A video tribute was also played.