Lille midfielder Rio Mavuba admits he was surprised to see Manuel Pellegrini win the Real Madrid job.

Mavuba never saw eye-to-eye with Pellegrini when they were together at Villarreal and he said: "He did good things with Villarreal, although he had the squad and working conditions to achieve this performance.

"Afterwards, to see him sign for Real was a surprise to me, especially with all those stars who arrived at the club along with him. He has the advantage of knowing the Liga and has a workforce that will play his style of game."

Mavuba added: "I don't regret my time at Villarreal. I learned a lot, especially that while the president may like you, it's the coach who selects you."