Heard on the Stands - Delhi Dynamos to rope in Gary Neville as their manager for ISL 2016

IT APPEARS THAT Delhi Dynamos are looking to bring an English football legend - a Manchester United veteran, no less - into their fold for the third edition of Indian Super League. Not as a player but as their new manager.

The franchise achieved relative success last year when they brought in celebrated Brazilian former footballer Roberto Carlos as their head coach. They entered the semi-finals for the first time and lost to FC Goa. Carlos even made a few appearances as a footballer early on in the tournament. 

But this time, the new manager they are rumoured to be hiring is one more who fully intends to focus on the coaching only, in order to pick up some precious experience to boost up his resume. We're talking about the famed former right back Gary Neville.

Big appointment - looks like Gary Neville will be the new manager of Indian Super League club #Delhi Dynamos ..#ISL pic.twitter.com/l8G3e0vMU9

— Baljit Rihal (@BaljitRihal) May 6, 2016

Neville is a former player very close to the heart of Manchester United fans, having spent his entire career - from youth to retirement, spanning over two decades - at the club. He made 400 league appearances for them, earning 85 national team caps in that period. He is considered to be one of the best United players of the Alex Ferguson era, and a member of the legendary 'Class of 92.'

After retiring in 2011, Neville became an assistant coach with the England national team. His contract with the English FA is for four months and it runs out this summer. He also made his managerial debut in December 2015 when he took over at the La Liga club Valencia, but his stint with the Oranges lasted less than four months as he was sacked due to sub-par performance of the team 28 games later.

Neville, who holds a UEFA Pro Coaching License, has his eyes set on some of the biggest managerial jobs in Europe, and the ISL stint - lucrative and short - provides a good opportunity to get some experience under his belt without wasting too much time on it. 

With him, Delhi Dynamos will be looking to make a mark in the next edition of ISL, and shed the sparsely-attacking conservative style of football that they played under Carlos last year. The franchise is still struggling to gain popularity among the locals, and Neville's inclusion also may help them win over the large Manchester United fanbase in the city.