Player turned pundit Gary Neville is currently in Russia discussing the World Cup and he took time out to blast Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri ahead of their clash with Brazil.

Shaqiri is currently a Championship player with Stoke City, although he has been heavily linked with a move away, but Neville claimed he is not a fan of the talented wide man.

Speaking ahead of Brazil's surprise 1-1 draw with Shaqiri's Swiss side, he suggested the player was unprofessional.

“I’m not a fan of Shaqiri to be honest with you,” he said. “I think that was to be fair made worse by the fact that he distanced himself from his team-mates as Stoke. They were unprofessional last season Stoke there’s no doubt and he epitomises it."

Stoke were relegated from the top flight and many of their big-name players didn't appear to be on form as they slid towards the drop. Shaqiri showed what a wonderful talent he was with a great display in the game after Neville's comments, perhaps causing more frustration for Stoke fans who didn't see the same in the season run-in.

“He could score the goal of the tournament and he could have the most amazing game tonight," Neville said rather prophetically. "But he could also be there for three matches, do nothing and just amble and waddle around."

The Verdict

Gary Neville isn't wrong in his assessment of Shaqiri. Last night he was excellent for Switzerland and looked every inch a world-class footballer, but Stoke fans didn't see it at all as they lost their top-flight status. Whether he's a Championship player next season or not is still to be debated, but at least by performing well in Russia he is adding a few zeroes to his price tag.