'His owners have thrown him under a bus' - Gary Neville responds to Jurgen Klopp criticism

On a night when his side drew 1-1 at Leeds in what would have been a blow to their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League if they were not part of a breakaway league that will almost certainly see them banned from UEFA competitions, Klopp insisted he and his players should not be blamed for the club's decision.

After revealing he knew nothing about the Super League until it was announced to the world, a clearly-agitated Klopp insisted his players should not be criticised for a business decision taken out of his hands.

Leeds players wore tee-shirts insisting the game is for the fans and the banners were also put up in Liverpool's dressing room at Elland Road, with Klopp keen to strike out.

"I just don't think it's right," he said of Leeds' 'Earn It' T-shirts. "They put it in our dressing room as well. What is the idea? I don't think we deserve that as a team. I don't like the way people are talking about the football club.

"I take the criticism for everything, if we don't play well I feel responsible and the players are the same, but this, we have nothing to do with this. When we came here, people were shouting at us. We have to be a little bit careful.

"We are people as well and we knew about this since yesterday like everybody.

"Gary Neville was talking about You'll Never Walk Alone. This already should be forbidden. It's our anthem. We have the right to sing our anthem. He doesn't understand it anyway so I don't want this because it's not fair. I don't like this either, but I don't talk about the other clubs.

"I wish Gary Neville would be in a hot seat somewhere and not where the most money is.

"He was at Manchester United where the most money is and now he's at Sky where the most money is. Don't forget that we have nothing to do with this. We are in the same situation like you all. We got the information yesterday and we still have to play football."

Neville didn't hold back as he returned fire at Klopp, as he insisted he wanted everyone in football to united behind stopping the Super League.

"I've handed out enough insults over the years to Liverpool, but yesterday was nothing to do with insulting Liverpool," he said. "I don't know why I'm living in his head. I don't know what's spiked him.

"Yesterday was an impassioned plea from me about protecting football in this country.

"My biggest disappointment was with Manchester United and Liverpool. I think I've equally distributed enough criticism to both clubs in the last 24 hours so I don't know what the problem is."

Neville said he had worked hard for his 25-year career at United and his decade-long stint in broadcasting and added: "I employ 600 people in the city and I've tried to look after them in a pandemic. Is that not a hot enough seat for him?

"He's done a great job at Liverpool, I love his team, but the fact of the matter is, he's spiky. He's been let down by his owners. His owners have thrown him under a bus.

"To be fair, we're on the same page. We're on the same team, but he can't say what he wants to say and I can, and I accept that.

"The Jurgen Klopp we know hates every single little thing about this more than I do and more than you do, because it goes against everything in his life that he believes in."