Manchester United legend Gary Neville hopes Roman Abramovich gives Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas time to rebuild the squad.

Neville wrote in the Mail on Sunday: "I watched Villas-Boas's hand movements during a press conference last week and, while I don't know the guy well, I know what a manager under pressure looks like.

"He was twitching and shuffling and his statement that the players don't have to back his project was alarming.

"A manager does need his players to believe in what he's doing, which is why either the sceptics have to go - or AVB will have to go himself.

"By his pronouncements, Villas-Boas must be thinking of making changes quickly, with stars such as Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Michael Essien, Florent Malouda, Petr Cech and John Terry all at risk.

"The key question is whether he gets the time to make those changes. Abramovich's record at Chelsea doesn't give Villas-Boas much cause for hope and he looks to me like someone swimming against the tide."