I couldn't bring myself to shake Man United legend's hand after what he did to my club

Gary Neville has opened up on the awkward moment he refused to shake Peter Schmeichel's hand before a Manchester derby at Maine Road in November 2002

Gary Neville has spoken about friction with Peter Schmeichel(Image: Richard Sellers/Allstar, Getty Images)

Gary Neville has shed light on his decision to refuse a handshake from Peter Schmeichel after the goalkeeper moved to Manchester City.

The pair had developed a close bond during Schmeichel's eight-year tenure with Manchester United in the 1990s. However, after successful stints at Sporting CP and Aston Villa, Schmeichel made a move that many United fans considered unforgivable - he returned to Manchester to play for City in 2002.

The decision didn't sit well with Neville, given the intense rivalry between the two neighbouring clubs, and the tension was palpable during an awkward moment before the Manchester derby of November 2002. As stand-in captain, Neville was leading United onto Maine Road when Schmeichel, captaining City, approached him in the tunnel.

While Schmeichel exchanged handshakes with Fabien Barthez, the atmosphere turned icy when he asked Neville if they could switch sides in the tunnel. Neville remained silent, briefly locking eyes with Schmeichel before stepping aside and brushing off his hand.

With a stern expression, Neville then left the tunnel to face his fierce rivals on the pitch. Reflecting on the incident in 2018, Neville stood by his decision to avoid any pleasantries with Schmeichel. During his guest appearance on the Quickly Kevin, Will He Score? podcast, he said: "When you look back now and you're 43, like I am, there are two things about that.

"One, he left Man United at the age of whatever he was, 35, and he said he was retiring, basically to go abroad. At the time when he came back, he played for Manchester City. You can't play for Manchester City. I'm a United fan and I can't play for Manchester City, I can't play for Leeds and I can't play for Liverpool. That's just written in stone.

"You just don't play for those clubs, irrespective of what happens. He'd won the treble with United in '99, said that he was retiring... he should have carried on playing for United for the next two or three years if that was the case. We struggled for a keeper between Peter and Edwin [van der Sar].

Gary Neville snubbed a handshake with Peter Schmeichel in 2002(Image: YouTube / Sky Sports Retro)

"The other thing was at that time I hated everybody, we all did. Everybody hated us, we all hated everybody. That's the way it was. With Sir Alex [Ferguson], you're on an island and we were [in a] siege mentality. If you're not on the island, do one."

Neville also shared his personal rule of never shaking hands with opponents before a match, regardless of who they were or which team they represented. He explained: "Shake hands at the end of the game when you've had the battle. I just think, I'm focusing before a game.

"I'm focusing on my first pass, which wasn't always a good one, my first touch, my first tackle, my opponent and how I'm going to affect him in the first five minutes of that game. I can't let him go past me on my first one-on-one - that's impossible - because if he goes past me the first time he's going to get confidence.

"I'm also going to run off him going forward to make him think he's got to run back. The first time the ball is in the air, I'm going to win that header. All I'm thinking about before that game is that. The idea of talking to a player from the opposition - that would distract me.

Peter Schmeichel played for Manchester City between 2002 and 2003(Image: Getty)

"So you say about not shaking hands with Peter Schmeichel, but I didn't shake hands with my brother [Phil Neville] when he was captain of Everton. And that's not because I don't like my brother - I do like him, he's all right."

In the Manchester derby of November 2002, City triumphed over United 3-1 at home, thanks to two goals from Shaun Goater and one from Nicolas Anelka, despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's effort for United. It comes as the Manchester rivals prepare to do battle at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday, over two decades since Neville's disagreement with Schmeichel.

Pep Guardiola's City side will be eager to establish consistency at home, given their mixed fortunes in the first three Premier League matches of the season. With a victory over Wolves but defeats to both Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton, City are keen to hit their stride against their fierce rivals.

In contrast, United approach the match with a loss, a draw and a win under their belt against Arsenal, Fulham and Burnley respectively. Ruben Amorim will undoubtedly feel the weight of expectation this season, having received full support from the board this summer, following a disappointing 15th-place finish in the Premier League last term.