Gary Neville publicly apologises for 'harsh' comment about Liverpool flop after bumping into him in person

Gary Neville has issued a public apology to one former Liverpool player because of the harsh comments he had made in the past.

In his 13 years as a football pundit, Neville has been brutal in his assessment of several players across the Premier League.

However, there was one player in particular that faced perhaps the biggest backlash from Neville and other members of the media after his disastrous performance in a massive game.

And now, the former Manchester United defender has come out to apologise to the player for what he said about him after the match.

In a now infamous performance, Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius made two costly mistakes during the club's Champions League final clash with Real Madrid in 2018, allowing the Spanish side to win the match 3-1.

Immediately after the game, the media didn't hold back in their assessment of the young German, blaming him for Liverpool's loss, and Neville has confessed that he regrets his part in the media pile-on.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Neville admitted: "Karius, the Liverpool goalkeeper, the young lad – I’ve been quite direct about him for a period of two to three months.

"Liverpool were getting better under Jurgen Klopp and I remember saying that they’ll never ever win the league with that guy [Karius] in the net.

"It’s a strong line for a young goalkeeper. It was probably true five months later back in the Champions League final."

Some time later, Neville bumped into Karius while on holiday, and it was this encounter that made him realise that maybe he had been too harsh.

Loris Karius received significant backlash after the Champions League final in 2018. (Image: Getty)

Neville added: "One time I went to Italy and went to a hotel. I walked into the gym for a session and there was just this big bloke lifting massive weights – it was Karius!

"He could have done many things there and could have had a go at me. It went right through my head on what I said about him, and I know he would’ve known that.

"But he said, “Nice to see you” and I felt guilty bumping into someone I’ve given a harsh line to."