Gary Neville's restaurant forced into liquidation with £1m debts

By Henry Moore

Gary Neville has been forced to shut down his Leeds restaurant after it went into liquidation with debts of £1million.

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The Manchester United and England star set up The Man Behind the Curtain in 2014 alongside chef Micheal O’Hare, owning 50% of the eatery through Relentless Leisure.

The footy pundit’s company owed a whopping £366,848 – according to a Statement of Affairs filed at Companies House.

Banks are reportedly owed £14,000, while the restaurant is said to owe HMRC two sums of £119,090 and £400,194, the Sun reports.

The accounts for 2023 are also overdue, according to reports.

Earlier this year, Neville hailed his decision to enter into the restaurant business.

Taking to Linkedin, the retired footballer said: “A few years ago I signed one of the most instinctive and incredible deals that I've ever done when I went into partnership with Michael O'Hare on “The Man Behind The Curtain” restaurant in Leeds.

"At the end of a meal I had at the restaurant, Michael presented me with the bill, but it wasn’t a normal bill, it was a bill that had a figure on it accompanied with a note that said this will give you 50% of the restaurant.

"From that moment on I was the co-owner of a Michelin star restaurant in Leeds!

"Fast forward to today and it's taken a brave and courageous decision for Michael to give up his Michelin star and open a new restaurant, Psycho Sandbar, that I went to earlier on in the week.

"It's a sensational restaurant with an unbelievable experience and a brilliant job from Michael and his team. If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend it.”

Gary Neville has built a £100million business empire since quitting football and is listed as a director at 56 separate companies on Companies House.

His investments range from hotels and restaurants to media and education.