Gary Neville: 'Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho envious of Chelsea'

By Danielle Joynson, Staff Reporter | 14 February 2017

Gary Neville believes that Jose Mourinho's comments about Chelsea being "very defensive" shows that he is "envious" of his former club.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has claimed that Jose Mourinho's apparent dig at Chelsea is because the Portuguese coach is "envious" of his former club.

After guiding his team to a 2-0 win over Watford last Saturday, Mourinho described the Blues as a "very defensive team".

Antonio Conte, who replaced Mourinho as permanent Chelsea boss last summer, sits at the top of the Premier League table with an eight-point lead, while United reside 12 points adrift in sixth place.

While carrying out his punditry duties on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football show, Neville said: "[Mourinho] is probably envious, probably saying it as a compliment, because when I watch Chelsea they look balanced to me, the right mix of what you would like.

"I've never watched Chelsea this season and thought they were really boring, I've seen them go away to City and be absolutely outstanding, I've seen them be resilient when they needed to be, I've seen them play great football.

"When I've watched them this season, they have a look of a team that's got the right balance, and if Jose Mourinho is saying that, maybe he is being a little bit mischievous, but he'll be thinking that is the balance of a champion team."

United, who lost 4-0 to Chelsea in October, will host the Blues at Old Trafford on April 15.