Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes Chelsea manager Antonio Conte will not be in charge at Stamford Bridge beyond this season.

The Italian coach took charge of the Blues in the summer of 2016. In his debut season, the former Juventus manager helped the west London club win the league comfortably as they were only eligible to play in the domestic competitions.

However, Chelsea have failed to replicate their last campaign's form this term. Despite taking a 1-0 lead against Tottenham Hotspur at home, Conte saw his side suffer a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Mauricio Pochettino's side.

Their latest defeat has put a dent on their chances of finishing in the top four. They now sit fifth in the table with 56 points after 31 games, trailing fourth place Tottenham by eight points. It will be difficult for the English champions to qualify for the next season's Champions League with seven league games left in hand.

A failure to qualify for Europe's elite club competition could force the Blues owner Roman Abramovich to show Conte the exit door. Neville claims the managers who take the job at Chelsea are aware they have a short period of time on their hands to bring success.

Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte saw his side suffer a 3-1 defeat to TottenhamGetty Images

"I don't think he's going to be here next season. We've thought it for six or seven months," Neville told Sky Sports.

"And that's not because we don't want him here, or we don't think he's done a great job, it's just the nature of the job here. It's such that when you have a season slightly worse than before, you go.

"It ends up becoming a bit messy, press conferences become the boardroom versus manager, it's happened here many, many times.

"It has been a successful club over 10 or so years, but in the second seasons, it's never been great. In terms of the outcome, you can't complain about what they've done here. But the managers who come here know they've got a short period of time."

Conte's future at Chelsea has been uncertain even before the season started. He has been linked with a move away from his current employers. The Guardian reported in March that Paris Saint-Germain have held talks with the Blues boss as they look to convince him to replace Unai Emery at Parc des Princes.