Neville Tears Into 'Frustrating' Neto as Chelsea Salvage Point at City; Rooney Backs Rosenior for Blues Job

Gary Neville has launched a scathing assessment of Chelsea's Pedro Neto following the winger's display during Sunday's clash against Manchester City, questioning whether the Portuguese talent possesses the ruthlessness required to operate at the highest level.

The draw at the Etihad came just days after Chelsea's turbulent managerial change. Enzo Maresca departed on Thursday morning following a poor run of results and reported tensions with the club's hierarchy over perceived lack of backing. U21 coach Calum McFarlane stepped into the breach for the trip to Manchester, and his interim tenure got off to a respectable start.

Despite City falling well short of their usual standards, Chelsea proved resolute in their defending. Enzo Fernandez's late strike earned them a share of the spoils after Tijjani Reijnders had given the hosts the lead. The visitors might have snatched all three points with greater clinical finishing, but squandered opportunities proved costly.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville acknowledged Neto's growing influence as the match progressed but expressed exasperation at the winger's inability to deliver the decisive moments when they mattered most.

"Pedro Neto, you said at the end that he was getting further into the match and he was bright," Neville reflected. "But he bloody frustrated me like you won't believe."

The pundit drew an unflattering comparison to Chelsea's former talisman, suggesting that while Neto possesses technical qualities reminiscent of Eden Hazard, he lacks the competitive edge that defined the Belgian's greatness.

"He's a smidgen away from being an Eden Hazard but he's never going to be an Eden Hazard because he hasn't got that killer instinct," Neville continued. "Hazard had that beautiful glide about him but he was also a killer and you've got to be a killer in those situations and Neto isn't that."

Neville credited Chelsea's second-half resilience and McFarlane's tactical adjustments, though he felt City's failure to put the contest to bed earlier represented a missed opportunity. "Man City got what they deserved in the end for not killing the game off," he said.

Turning his attention to the managerial situation, Neville viewed the point as a positive development for the interim boss. "It's a good moment for Chelsea and Calum McFarlane, it's a good end to the week for them."

The Manchester United legend also noted the psychological impact on Guardiola's side, with the gap at the summit now a concern. "You don't want to be six points behind in the Premier League title race. That gap can be retrieved because there's a long way to go but that will hurt Man City and Pep Guardiola."

Meanwhile, Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior is poised to take the Chelsea job permanently. Wayne Rooney, who worked alongside Rosenior at Derby County, has backed his former colleague for the position, hailing his coaching credentials.

"He's taken chances, and hopefully that pays off because I think Liam is as good a coach as I've ever worked with," Rooney said on his BBC show. "His detail, how he approaches the day-to-day, he's as good as I've worked with."

The former Manchester United striker elaborated on Rosenior's influence during their time together, emphasising the assistant's technical expertise in a complementary role.

"Liam was so important for me. He was incredible in his coaching ability. I was more of the manager and dealing with players and everything. So I learned a lot from him from that point of view and then I think he's done a great job as a whole."