He told The Sun: “We don’t live too far away from each other and used to share a lift to training – we don’t any more though!
“Gareth often said to me that he was interested in becoming a manager. Obviously the great thing was an opportunity came to him.
“When I was told he was going to be manager, I said straight away that if I was asked to name any player who would make it, Gareth was the first person to pop into my mind.
“I spoke to him at the World Cup after I found out he got the job.
“It was a little bit strange then but once I went back to the grind of the Premiership and training each week, it became natural.
“We still give him a lot of stick every now and again. He has the mickey taken out of him just like the rest of us.”
