Neville has a nice red to toast end of ESL plan

GARY Neville toasted the apparent demise of the Super League, with the controversial breakaway tournament collapsing.

All six of the English teams who signed up for the controversial competition on Sunday withdrew late last night.

When the news that Ed Woodward has resigned as Manchester United executive vice-chairman broke, Neville, an outspoken critic of the Super League, tweeted a waving emoji.

The former United defender then posted a picture of himself drinking a glass of wine with the caption: “To the Super League.”

There had been reports that Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson had called a meeting of his fellow Premier League skippers, but will now not need to.

He and a number of his Liverpool team-mates tweeted: “We don’t like it and we don’t want it to happen. This is our collective position.

“Our commitment to this football club its supporters is absolute and unconditional. You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Henderson had handed over the running of his social account to an anti-bullying charity but said he was tweeting as himself because it “needs to be said”.

Neville’s fellow Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool defender, tweeted a picture of a headstone engraved with the inscription “European Super League, born April 18, 2021, died April 20, 2021.”

Carragher added: “At Sky Sports yesterday I felt resigned to SuperLeague happening, but during MNF after hearing managers, players & fans from @LUFC @LFC I’m convinced if we all get together & forget our tribalism we can stop this. Keep banging the drum.”

Former Chelsea midfielder Pat Nevin, covering their match against Brighton on Tuesday night, told BBC 5Live: “I’m not going to make excuses for Chelsea, they got it wrong.

“But the best thing to do when you realise something is wrong is hold your hand up and get out.”