Manchester United legend Gary Neville has been accused of jealousy after Wayne Rooney temporarily took his spot on Monday Night Football next to Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher.
Derby County boss Rooney made a guest appearance on the popular Sky Sports show this week to cover the Premier League fixture between Crystal Palace and Arsenal, which the Eagles won 3-0. He discussed former club United at length, offering his take on their managerial pursuit while also giving his verdict on the title race between Liverpool and Manchester City.
Minutes before Monday Night Football went live, Carragher posted a picture alongside Rooney and presenter David Jones and quickly received a mocking remark from Neville. His regular punditry partner appeared to take a dig at his and Rooney's strong Scouse accents by writing: "Subtitles on and all the best Dave. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee, errmmmmmmmm."
Carragher quickly hit back on Twitter by saying: "No erms just an ex #MUFC player speaking honestly about his former club, you should try it! #Rooney." Neville was keen to have the last laugh and responded with a kissing emoji and: "Ooooooohhh! Scouse friends." Given Rooney received widespread praise for his insights on Monday Night Football, many fans suggested Neville's joke about struggling to understand the former England captain was misguided.
One wrote: "No need to feel jealous Gary." Another added: "Jealous or what." Carragher's jibe about Neville failing to "speak honestly about his former club" appears to have been a reference to his reluctance to criticise ex-teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian was sacked as manager in November after a torrid run of form yet Neville repeatedly refused to call for a change in the dugout. A third supporter also seemed to reference this by responding to Neville with: "Rooney was a breathe of fresh air tonight saying stuff you would never dare do cause it might be your friend."
What did you make of Wayne Rooney's Monday Night Football appearance? Have your say in the comments!
Carragher certainly felt Rooney was a great addition to Monday Night Football and wrote: "#MNF was brilliant tonight & that was down to the insight and honesty of @WayneRooney." While there were plenty of engrossing discussions in the studio, an upset was on the cards at Selhurst Park as Palace produced a stunning performance to defeat Arsenal 3-0.
Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring in the 16th minute and Jordan Ayew doubled the lead before half-time. Wilfried Zaha put the game to bed from the penalty spot with just over 15 minutes remaining to send the Eagles into the top half of the table. The Gunners, meanwhile, passed up the chance to reclaim fourth spot from Tottenham but they do have a game in hand on their local rivals, whom they are level on points with.
