Salford City co-owner, Gary Neville, warns that lower league players should look at other careers in case the financial affects of Covid-19 leaves them without a job.

Neville spoke recently about his worries for players approaching contract expiries, and now believes players should weigh up career changes as he warns it will be difficult to make deals with current or new clubs.

With several players nearing the end of their contracts at Salford City, the club he has co-owned since 2014, this is a subject that hits close to home for the former Manchester United defender.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville said: “I don’t think it has sunk in yet with players and agents but it will do in two months’ time.

“It’s going to be very difficult to secure contracts with football clubs in the next 18 months because clubs are going to find it very difficult to pay.

“If I was a football player today I would be online learning, I’d be getting a degree or a BTEC. I would be doing something different and trying to get a dual skill.

“That’s not panicking. That’s just good planning. The jobs in football are going to be less, the money is going to be less, and thousands of players are going to need to do a job next year or something out of football.

“They have to plan for that now. The smart ones will get their heads around that now because the clubs want real action. They want to reset the game.”

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