Former Valencia manager and player tells Gary Neville to learn the Spanish culture "as quickly as possible"

The surprise appointment marks Neville's first foray into management after Valencia parted company with Nuno Espirito Santo following Sunday's 1-0 defeat by Sevilla.

Flores, a Valencia supporter, enjoyed 10 years at the Mestalla as a player before taking charge of the club in 2005 and leading them to third in La Liga and a quarter-final spot in the Champions League in the subsequent season. He was sacked in 2007 after a string of poor results.

"Gary needs to adapt as quickly as possible to the Spanish culture because it is completely different to England," said Flores of the former England defender who has no playing or coaching experience in Spain. "The style of football, the philosophy, the speed of play, the mentality of the fans, the culture of the media is all different."

Flores also urged Neville to learn Spanish.

"Different countries give a lot of values to people who try to adapt as quick as possible," he continued. "If I am coaching in England for two years, one year or six months and I don't speak one word in English, you are thinking I am not interested to know English people or English football so it is very important. I respect Gary a lot because he played in the same position as me, he played at a high level, and maybe we are a similar age. I hope for all the best for Gary."

At his first press conference since his appointment, Neville recognised the need to embrace the Spanish way of life as quickly as possible.

He said: "The only way to approach a football job will be as if it's a permanent job, I don't believe you can make short-term decisions, I don't believe in working that way.

"My family will move over here permanently. My girls will finish school in Manchester in two weeks' time and they'll move over to Valencia with my wife.

"I always wanted, when I was at the football club that I played at, for foreign players to come over and show commitment not just to the city but to everything and to immerse themselves in the culture. I think it's absolutely vital that I show that level of commitment even though it is, at this moment in time, a six-month position."

The 40-year-old former Manchester United and England defender, whose first game in charge will be the crucial Champions League group match against Lyon, said he would have lost credibility in the game had he rejected the chance to manage the Primera Division giants after being unveiled to the press.

Neville has signed a six-month contract at the Mestalla but spoke like a man planning much further into the future as he will move his young family to Spain in the coming weeks.

As a friend of businessman and Valencia owner Peter Lim, Neville's appointment earlier in the week came as a shock but, with brother Phil already working at the club as a coach, Neville insists he knew it was time to walk the walk after gaining plenty of respect as a pundit on Sky Sports.

"Sitting on television, talking about coaches for these last few years, the time had come for me to stand up," he said. "If I'd have turned down this job, I could have said goodbye to credibility in football because it's a massive club and I'm honoured and proud to be here.

"I've been offered jobs in football over the last four or five years but timing hadn't felt right and I wanted to learn. When I received the call on Sunday evening I thought what a football club, what an opportunity, what a challenge."

Neville confirmed his brother will continue in his position as assistant and has also welcomed former Valencia player Miguel Angulo who will also form part of his backroom staff.

Having played together through the ranks at Old Trafford and with England, Neville is looking forward to again building a professional relationship within his family.

"One thing to announce is that the coach who will be with me will be Phillip, my brother, and Angulo, who's the coach of the under-19s academy team, a Valencia legend," he said.

"If Phil wasn't here I would want him here. He's diligent, hard-working and from my point of view I'm delighted he's part of the coaching set-up. We don't do niceties and we talk about actions and what we're going to do."

Neville, who will continue in his role as England coach up to and including the European Championships next summer, said that the dual commitment will not lead to him taking his eye off the ball at Valencia – and neither will any of his business interests, including his stake in Salford City.

"In terms of the FA and the England football team, when I spoke to Roy [Hodgson] he was incredibly supportive and he understood completely the opportunity for myself," he explained.

"He was behind me 100 per cent, we have the two games in March during the international break so from my point of view, I wanted to complete my job through to the European Championships but I want people to know that Valencia is my priority 95-99 per cent of the time.

"Obviously, I have a lot of interests but they are parked. Salford City has a 14-person committee, a coaching staff and three other owners who live near the ground. My input, in that sense, is minimal. The club runs itself in many ways."