The Leeds United boss has enjoyed an excellent season in charge at Elland Road regardless.
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke was named as Gary Neville’s Premier League manager of the season - although it appears to have been by mistake.
Farke has overseen a hugely impressive campaign at Elland Road, guiding Leeds to mathematical safety with three games to spare. The Whites have since taken four points from two of those final matches and can reach the 50-point milestone with victory over West Ham on Sunday.
That return could see Leeds finish as high as 10th, with their lowest possible position at full-time on Sunday being 15th. Farke’s side are unbeaten in eight games and have lost just four of their last 24 in the league, a quite incredible run stretching back to the start of December.
Despite that, Farke was snubbed in the official Premier League Manager of the Season nominations. He was not on the six-man shortlist that instead included Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, Brentford’s Keith Andrews, Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Manchester United interim boss Michael Carrick and Regis Le Bris at Sunderland.
Farke did receive some flowers on Monday, with Neville initially naming the Leeds boss as his personal manager of the season. It was a somewhat surprising call, however, and the former Manchester United defender cleared things up, instead singling out the Whites manager as his most improved.
“I think I’ve probably misunderstood the question as it’s been sent to me!” Neville admitted on Sky Sports. “I thought it was most improved, and I put player Matheus Nunes and Farke as manager. So I’ve put the most improved manager as Farke because, basically, he was done and he’d been relegated a couple of times before so for him to keep Leeds up.
“I remember going back to Leeds for those games in the middle of the winter and they were on the brink of sacking him. That’s why I’ve got mixed up, I went for most improved manager and player as Farke and Nunes. Manager of the year I think is Arteta.”
What has Gary Neville said about Leeds United and Daniel Farke?
Neville has spoken glowingly of Leeds in recent weeks following confirmation of their safety. During an episode of The Overlap earlier this month, he insisted Farke has overseen the Premier League’s biggest turnaround this season following that season-defining formation change at Manchester City in November.
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“This one sticks in my mind because I was there,” Neville said, reflecting on the season’s biggest turnaround. “I was going to Elland Road around October/November and there was massive noise. It was almost like the writing was on the wall Farke, he was getting sacked that week.
“They played City on the Saturday, Chelsea on the Wednesday night and then Liverpool the following Saturday. I was going to the Chelsea and Liverpool games thinking if he loses them, he’s gone. But they beat Chelsea, and they came back against Liverpool to draw.
“I think that, for me... you know when a manager is like a dead man walking? He’s already in trouble. The turnaround from that for Leeds.”
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