London, Nov 23 : Manchester United defender Gary Neville has criticized
Premier League''s millionaire stars for wasting hundreds of thousands
of pounds a year on agents.

Neville’s comment comes days after manager Sir Alex Ferguson blasted top-footballers, branding them ''cocooned''.

“I
completely agree with his (Ferguson) sentiments. It is one of my pet
hates when I see players who have agents that do everything for them.
They don''t know how to set up their own bank account, they don''t know
what they''re spending their money on and they can''t make their own
decisions,” The Sun quoted Neville, as saying.

“Not every player
is like that, but some are totally dependent on agents and advisers. A
footballer should sit down and negotiate with a club, even if his agent
is sitting with him. It is in a player''s best interests to be there
and see what is going on,” he added.

The 34-year-old also
revealed that some of the players pay up to 15 per cent of their wages
to their agents, which means that a 100,000 pounds-a-week player would
pay an agent 15,000 pounds per week.

He further said the idea of
allowing someone to look after your financial and professional
existence is something that he does not agree with.

“Some agents
do a good job, but there are others who stifle and mollycoddle players.
Some agents will come into a player''s life when he is 20, leave his
life at 34 and never want to know him again,” Neville said.

“Every
footballer needs an adviser at some point. But a player doesn''t need
to pay between five and 15 per cent of his wages to a guy to set up a
bank account, buy him a new fridge, or ask his club''s chief executive
for a pay rise,” he added. (ANI)