Manchester United legend Gary Neville has taken a major swipe at Liverpool over their problems this season. Neville says the Raheem Sterling situation shows how the Anfield club have consistently had to sell their best players in the last decade and a half - from Michael Owen and Steve McManaman in the past, to Luis Suarez and Sterling more recently.

"There is a wider context to this story and it centres on how Liverpool have gone from being from one Europe's great superpowers to one which is in danger of becoming a provincial club," wrote Neville in the Telegraph.

"If you compare Liverpool to Manchester United over the same period of time, I can think of only one player - Cristiano Ronaldo - who left when he wanted to go, rather than when Sir Alex Ferguson wanted it to happen."