Leeds United manager Neil Warnock believes that Chelsea should have kept hold of striker Didier Drogba instead of letting the Ivorian leave the club on a free transfer.

The 34-year-old ended his eight-year stint at the Premier League outfit in the summer and opted for a move to Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, but Warnock believes that the Blues could do with the forward's experience as they go through a tough period in their campaign.

"They have clearly missed some experienced players through injury this season but if I was Chelsea manager the one I'd miss most is Didier Drogba," the London Evening Standard quotes Warnock as saying.

"I would have done anything to keep him if I was at Chelsea and yet they let him leave on a free transfer. He epitomised what Chelsea was all about when they won all those trophies and his goalscoring record was tremendous. I loved him as a player."

Warnock and his Leeds side will go up against the Blues in the League Cup this evening.