Gary Neville left red-faced by Pochettino after comment on Chelsea quartet

Mauricio Pochettino has left Gary Neville red-faced over the Sky Sports pundits’ claim that he would massively improve four Chelsea players.

Manchester United legend Neville was convinced from the get-go that Pochetinno would be the best man for the job when Todd Boehly began his search for a proper Graham Potter successor in the summer. One reason why Neville felt Pochettino would be tailor-made for the job was due to Chelsea’s young squad and the ex-Tottenham boss’ track record of developing youngsters.

Neville earmarked the likes of Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Ian Maatsen and Nicolas Jackson as players who would benefit from Pochettino’s presence. Back in August, Neville said: “There’s a lot to look forward to and Mauricio Pochettino will love this – the frantic nature of Mykhailo Mudryk, Ian Maatsen, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson.

“They run offside, they’re too quick in what they play, they’re not cold in the box, they’re actually a bit too emotional and they’re not composed. But he will bring that to them I think, in terms of how they work on the training pitch. There’s a lot to work with at Chelsea, a lot of potential and I think they’ve got the right coach to turn that potential into high-quality, good performers.”

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However, all four have flattered to deceive in what has been a disastrous first half of the season for Chelsea. When Pochettino joined, he had his eyes set on a spot in the top six but with Chelsea languishing in 12th position in the Premier League, the Argentine has conceded that mid-table is now the club’s reality despite Boehly investing over £1bn on new players over the past two years.

Mudryk and Jackson have featured regularly under Pochettino this season but neither have had the impact Neville and many others would have expected. Jackson is Chelsea’s top scorer this season with seven goals in all competitions but has come in for a lot of stick for his wayward finishing.

Mudryk, meanwhile, has just two goals and two assists from 15 games this term. Madueke and Maatsen however have barely featured, playing just over 100 minutes of Premier League football each.

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Maatsen almost left the club in the summer but turned down a last-minute £32m move to Burnley and despite barely featuring, is still said to be rated highly by Pochettino and his coaches. It remains to be seen if the Dutchman is given more opportunities to impress in the second half of the season with Marc Cucurella coming under increasing scrutiny and Ben Chilwell out injured.

Madueke has been knocked down the pecking order by the arrival of Cole Palmer who has quickly established himself as a key player for Pochettino – and will no doubt be questioning his future with his Stamford Bridge career already at crossroads.

Despite Mudryk and Jackson’s struggles for form, meanwhile, Pochettino has stuck by the duo by consistently playing them and publicly backed his striker last month, saying: “We need to be sensitive when a player is suffering for different reasons.

“He had surgery a few weeks ago. He is playing in a situation that is not comfortable to train or play. He broke his wrist, but he made the effort and showed his commitment to the club. He’s at Chelsea, he’s 21 years old, he wants to score and perform and help the team to win.

“The fans can criticise us. Of course. They are frustrated. At the same time, we need to analyse the situation. Jackson is young. He arrived this season. There have been circumstances that didn’t help him perform at his best. What can we do? Throw him into the bin? Say he’s useless? We need to give him confidence, help, trust. That can lead you to change your form.”

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