Neville rips up Inter Miami squad but promotes son after crunch Beckham talks

Phil Neville has promoted his son to the Inter Miami first team as part of a major squad overhaul following a poor MLS campaign.

Inter Miami fell short of expectations for a second season, finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference to fall way short of a play-off place.

David Beckham's franchise have therefore opted to make sweeping changes to the playing staff, with 10 players released and three others currently in limbo with their contracts expiring.

Former England women's boss Neville has been unable to make an impact on the side since his arrival in January, with Miami winning just 12 of their 34 league matches.

Beckham is understood to be frustrated by the lack of progress with the team, who were launched in 2018 and played their first match in March 2020.

Miami have therefore opted to rip up their roster, although big-name designated players Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi, as well as former Premier League players Ryan Shawcross and Kieran Gibbs remain on the books.

As does Neville's son Harvey, who has benefited from the clear-out by moving up into the first-team squad from Miami's sister club Fort Lauderdale, according to The Sun.

The 19-year-old right-back will leave behind Beckham's son, Romeo, also 19, who will stay with Fort Lauderdale.

"He's done well and although he has a lot of development to do, he is part of a group of eight to 10 players who we want to get involved with the MLS team," Phil Neville told The Sun of Harvey.

"He is only young. There are ups and downs and many challenges ahead but he just has to keep up his attitude.

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"We are a club which needs to produce its own players and we want to get this group on the pitch as soon as we can."

Inter Miami are working under a reduced salary cap for the next two years after being found guilty of violating MLS roster rules in the 2020 campaign.

Despite finishing fourth bottom in the Eastern Conference and 20th in MLS overall, the South Florida side had the league's most expensive payroll of $17.8m (£13.21m) in the 2021 season.

Former Juventus striker Higuain is the league's third-highest paid player in MLS at $5.79m (£4.30m) per year, while ex-France international midfielder Matuidi's base salary is $1.5m (£1.11m).

Both have another year on their contract and will be 34 by the time the next season starts, while Shawcross' struggles with a back problem shows the need to freshen up the squad.

According to the Miami Herald, Inter Miami are targeting Santos midfielder Jean Mota and Raphael Veiga from Palmeiras in the transfer market, but Neville still found the squad clear-out difficult.

"That is a situation I've never experienced in club football in Europe, where normally 99 per cent of the squad are on long-term contracts and in control of their own destiny," he said.

"This league is totally different. Nothing can prepare you for that feeling, that look on somebody's face, the emotion we've seen has been a learning experience.

"Today they could be in Miami, tomorrow they could be in L.A. That is pretty brutal. I've got unbelievable respect for MLS players.

"I think I would have struggled with that as a player. At Manchester United I was offered a four-year deal, and I asked for seven.

"Later I asked for another seven. It gave me stability. You can't have that in this league."