Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has claimed that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is far from pleased with the club's sale of Nemanja Matic.
The midfielder joined the Blues' Premier League rivals United in July for a rumoured £40m fee, reuniting with his former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
Matic started 30 league matches last season and came off the bench in five more, but his minutes were expected to be cut for the 2017-18 campaign due to the arrival of new signing Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Conte, who was rumoured to be at odds with the Chelsea board regarding transfer strategy earlier this summer, has publicly claimed that Matic will be a "great loss" at Stamford Bridge.
Neville had his say on the matter at the Premier League launch in London today, telling Sky Sports News: "When a player leaves a club, you do not normally see a manager speak so glowingly about them. Usually they would say it is time for them to leave, it was the right move for both parties.
"But [Conte] spoke about him in such a way about his incredible importance to the job they did last year - Matic and N'Golo Kante in front of that back three - and I have no doubt that he has not sanctioned that move, he is not happy with it and ultimately he is uncomfortable with it.
"I have to say that it is a strange move, it really is, to sell to one of your main rivals. Sometimes transfers can get forced through, but it did not seem to me that Matic was forcing it through. Maybe he was behind the scenes, but it did not seem he was publicly.
"There is very rarely such big transfers between champions to clubs that are challenging them and it is a strange move. And I do not think he likes it and I do not think he agrees with it because he said he has to strengthen now and fill that gap."
Matic won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the EFL Cup across two spells at Chelsea.
Danielle Joynson
