Roberto Martinez wants Phil Neville to join his coaching staff

Apparently all it took for people to start fighting over Phil Neville's services was for him to retire. The freshly retired former Everton captain has been linked with joining David Moyes' coaching staff and Manchester United but it now appears that Roberto Martinez would like to keep Captain Phil at Everton as he builds his new coaching staff.

Martinez talked about Neville and his desire to talk to the 36-year-old about becoming a part of his staff.

"I think Phil Neville is an Everton icon and I think he can bring a lot into his time as a coach, I really want to speak with him and see how he feels about his future."

It's nothing concrete of course but however you feel about Phil Neville as a player, there's no questioning the fact that his experience and leadership during the past eight seasons was integral to the team's success. He's clearly a respected voice in the locker room and he understands what it takes to win in the Premier League.

Keeping a guy like Neville at the club would be a savvy move by Martinez and provide him an excellent link between himself and the players, who are all comfortable and familiar with Neville.

Of course the pull of returning to Manchester United -- the club where Neville began his career and spent ten seasons -- might be too much for Martinez to overcome, but just making the effort to try to get Phil to stick around is a smart move by the new Everton head coach.