Gary Neville has politely asked his broadcasting “god” Des Lynam to “please stop putting me forward as the manager of Manchester United”.

Neville suggested he had been ridiculed by colleagues and friends after Lynam, writing for Telegraph Sport, said the former right-back was the “best candidate” to fix the crisis club. “My plea to him was over three years ago but as the men with their furrowed brows took their temporary residence in the United dugout, Neville has remained the best candidate, in my mind,” Lynam wrote.

Lynam’s article prompted thousands of comments, with many readers citing the pundit’s major failure as manager of Valencia in the 2015/16 season.

Speaking on his podcast on Sky Sports, Neville said: “I don’t believe that I’m the best man for the job by a long way.”

In a direct plea to the former BBC and ITV anchor, Neville said: “Des Lynam was the doyen, the god of hosts and presenters in that era. Someone with an unbelievable voice, great delivery, great humour. I always got on with Des, but if you could please stop putting me forward as the manager of Manchester United, it would be quite helpful.”

Lynam had maintained in his Telegraph Sport column on Friday that Neville’s “powerful personality” and “strong presence” would be ideal in the dressing room and the “money men had better watch out” as he is a shrewd businessman.

In response, Neville dismissed the idea out of hand but also expressed his deep respect for Lynam, having worked with him for ITV during the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

“I love Des Lynam,” said Neville. “I met Des Lynam in 2002. My first ever punditry gig was 22 years ago. I broke my foot before the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, and ITV asked me to be a pundit. I had the most incredible time, it was the moment that I recognised I wanted to go into punditry because of the people I was surrounded by.

“The fellow pundits on that panel were Bobby Robson, Terry Venables and Paul Gascoigne. I totally don’t belong in that panel from the point of view of football greatness and coaching. What I could give them was the current understanding of what was happening in that dressing room.”

Erik ten Hag was sacked in October, with Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim brought in to replace him but Lynam had suggested on Friday that Neville should be appointed instead.

“He has Manchester United blood running through his veins,” Lynam wrote. “He is deeply hurt by the club’s present predicament.”

‘I feel bad to tell Des he’s not right’

Neville told Lynam in response: “I understand where you’re coming from, I do understand the club, I do love the club, I do believe I can communicate well. However, I don’t want to go back into coaching number one, [and] number two I don’t believe that I’m the best man for the job by a long way.”

Jamie Carragher, who also writes for Telegraph Sport, had responded to Lynam’s article on X with a series of laughing emojis. Neville said: “It gives my friends and colleagues, particularly Mr James Carragher, the opportunity to giggle quite a bit on a Thursday afternoon when he sees the headline. I love Des to bits but I’m pretty sure he’s not right on that one. I feel bad to tell him he’s not right because he’s someone with such vast experience.”