On Wednesday, March 2, Abramovich issued a statement, where he revealed he will be selling Chelsea due to Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions imposed on Russian businesses and economy.

Abramovich became Chelsea’s owner back in 2003. Since his takeover, Chelsea has gone on to win 21 major titles

Speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit, Neville was asked about his opinion on the situation at Chelsea and Abramovich’s alleged association with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Neville said: “There are alleged links between Abramovich and [Vladimir] Putin. I think what he [Putin] has done this week has meant the association with Chelsea and Abramovich has become a problem. Am I in a situation where I feel Roman Abramovich should be kicked out of Chelsea, should be kicked out of English football, no I’m actually not there.In respect of Abramovich and Chelsea, he has been an owner of Chelsea now for 20 years and from my point of view I’ve spoken openly about how I’ve welcomed the challenge to the historical elite, which was Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.”

According to the former defender, United have plenty of individual quality but there is an unclear style of play and little to no cohesion that is required to win the Premier League.

He said “I said it even when they were winning, even when [Cristiano] Ronaldo scored, they don’t play well enough as a team to win this league in my view. They don’t play well enough as a team, I think you have to be a unit in and out of possession, and when you only deliver in moments, those moments won’t go for you in certain games. You need patterns of play, you need a way of playing, and at this moment in time I still see a group of individuals playing in moments, with some patterns and combinations at times, but still, a team where some are pretty new together – Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho – but they’ve got to come together as a team and start to define a style of play. Then you start to get results when you don’t play well. I have called them the odd bunch because I still look at them and think of them as a team that win games in moments. I look at Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City, they are teams. They put team performances in. That’s not to say United never do, but Ole now has to get United into a team.’

Ronaldo scored twice during a dream homecoming to Manchester United last weekend on his second debut for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in a 4-1 Premier League win over Newcastle

Neville says the Portuguese is the finest to ever play the game saying he has a more superior flexibility as a goalscorer than Paris Saint-Germain star, Lionel Messi.

Neville said “Look, there’s no doubt that Messi’s scored an obscene amount of goals, he’s a ridiculous player. Ronaldo’s scored probably 30 or 40 per cent more with his wrong foot and he’s scored more penalties. So it just took me to a point where he was more complete in terms of the most important part of the game.The thing that tips it over the edge even more is that international record, of the most international goals ever. The fact that he’s won five Champions Leagues with teams that aren’t even as good as Messi’s team. Messi’s won more league titles with that Barcelona team, but I just feel that the international goal record and the Champions Leagues, aligned with the variety of goals that he scores, even though they’re very similar [in overall numbers], takes me to think that he is the greatest player of all time”