Gary Neville has sadly had to shut the doors of his high-end Leeds restaurant due to a financial crisis. The ex-Manchester United ace ventured into the culinary world post-retirement, opening The Man Behind the Curtain in 2014 which quickly nabbed a Michelin star under the helm of celebrity chef Michael O’Hare, known from Masterchef fame.

Neville’s stake in the eatery was 50% via his company Relentless Leisure, but now it’s been hit with crippling debts. Official documents lodged at Companies House paint a grim picture – the business is £366,848 in the red.

With just £9,500 in assets available for creditors and an director’s loan of half a million quid, the future repayments are looking shaky. To top it off, about £152,973 worth of fixtures and fittings have also got an ‘uncertain’ tag attached, reports the Mirror.

Banks are chasing £14,000, while HMRC is hankering after two sizable sums of £119,090 and £400,194. Even though Neville’s 2023 restaurant accounts are tardy, 2022 showed brighter days with a £187,000 profit and reserves listed at £105,938.

Despite the gloom of liquidation, however, the establishment remains open, albeit under new management. In a LinkedIn update earlier this year, Neville reminisced: “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.”

The closure of the restaurant is Neville’s latest blow. The company behind Cafe Football – a venture between the former defender and ex-teammate Ryan Giggs – was formally dissolved last year.

His Hotel Football venture also lost another £600,000 in the most recent financial year despite a record turnover.