Brighton & Hove Albion first-team coach Paul Nevin has spoken of his pride and excitement ahead of working with Gareth Southgate and the England senior team next month.
Nevin will be part of the national set-up for the matches against the United States and Croatia at Wembley Stadium as part of the FA’s initiative which will ensure BAME coaching placements across all England squads, and the Albion representative spoke glowingly of the opportunity.
He said, "When I got the call I was absolutely delighted because it's a very privileged position. Any coach who invites you into the inner sanctum of how they work says something about your own character and hopefully the trust that Gareth has in me to preserve that environment.
"First and foremost, I'm very thankful to Gareth and The FA for the opportunity. I'm also thankful to Brighton for allowing me the time to do this to help develop myself and gain new experience.
"This is a chance to work with the best players in the country. Obviously, I see them week to week in the Premier League but working with them en-masse in a squad setting is going to be fantastic.”
Nevin joined the Seagulls in 2016 after leaving his role as head of coaching at the Premier League, assisting Chris Hughton and Paul Trollope in the club’s historic promotion winning campaign and playing an integral part in the side’s first season in the Premier League last term.
Having also worked with the FA as a youth coach at national level, he emphasised that the chance to work in such an environment again is one that he’s relishing.
“I’ve had brief experience of working at international youth development levels, and it's a chance to see the final product that's coming through while working alongside the top coaches in the country.
“Being a part of that environment at the highest level of international football and looking at how they function will have the biggest impact on me.
"I previously had a spell working in coach development at the Premier League so I'm aware of the need to give opportunities to the quality BAME coaches out there and I think The FA are leading the way on that.
“Sometimes it's easier to give that exposure to coaches in the younger age groups but to do it at the very highest level in that environment speaks volumes about how serious The FA takes the issue of giving BAME coaches opportunities.
“I think The FA are following through with what they said they would do and it's a great example for others to follow."