Manchester United legend Gary Neville says the Carling Cup is now the equal of the FA Cup.

Neville wrote in the Mail on Sunday: "When I was a child, the FA Cup was one of the crown jewels of the sporting year, along with the Grand National, Wimbledon and The Open.

"But with every announcement it seems to lose another piece of its identity. First it was sponsors added to the name, followed by the semi-finals at Wembley.

"Then it was no longer the last game of the season and now the kick-off is 5.15pm. And each club still get only 25,000 tickets, a point Kenny Dalglish raised last week.

"For me, the Carling Cup has become almost more fun and certainly the equal of the FA Cup. Both are used for rotation and both give you a Europa League place."