Manchester United legend Gary Neville has defended Brendan Rodgers after the Liverpool manager came in for criticism for his team selection against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

The Reds boss dropped the likes of Raheem Sterling, Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho for the 1-0 defeat to the La Liga giants in the Champions League, but Neville thinks that Rodgers's achievements with the Merseyside outfit last season should still hold weight.

He told The Telegraph: "We crave British managers being given a chance in Champions League football. We pray they will grow to be as shrewd as Ferguson, Mourinho, Ancelotti and Guardiola. And as soon as they reach the cusp, and start making big decisions, the headlines veer into extremes. Brendan Rodgers should be cut some slack.

"Let's be fair and sensible about Brendan Rodgers. No manager should have to go from being the most exciting young coach in the league six months ago to being told he does not know what he's doing today. Rodgers has shown a talent for calculation, and has been bold enough to take a gamble by leaving senior players out of the side to play Real Madrid.

"If every time there is a rough patch a young manager is battered, how are we ever going to reach the point where a British coach can match a Mourinho or an Ancelotti?"

Liverpool suffered their third successive reverse as they were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea on Saturday afternoon