Neville made his return from injury against Carlisle United in the FA Cup at the weekend after being sidelined since September.

His time on the sidelines has given him the chance to assess the contribution of 'captain' Cahill.

"I was so pleased he scored because I've watched so many games while I've been out and Tim's taken the mantle and the pressure for the whole team," said Neville.

"As captain he's led from the front when we were not doing too well, he's always wanted the ball, never missed a training session, led from the front and carried the fight to teams on his own a lot of the time.

"It's about time now that others coming back from injury need to help.

"He needs someone to take a bit of pressure off him and to take responsibility.

"Out of the bad run we had, Tim was the one who showed the spirit and took the fight to whoever we were up against."