Manchester United legend Gary Neville feels Chelsea senior players should recognise that manager Andre Villas-Boas could prolong their careers by not guaranteeing them a regular game.

He wrote in the Mail on Sunday: "With the amount of discontent there appears to be at the club, with stories being leaked and the manager admitting players challenged him about selection, it almost seems as though there are some players at Chelsea who aren't accepting that change is happening to them.

"Because I can see it physically in them. They are not what they were four or five years ago. But if they can just accept that change - and, if they were better managed and the manager explained to them their new role and made them feel a part of it - they could have careers at Chelsea until they are 37 or 38.

"If you can accept that the bulk of your war on the front line is over, then you can go back behind the lines and become a general. It is players such as Carragher who will set the tone in the dressing room, impose discipline and provide advice and encouragement to young players when they need it."