Roy Keane blames players for David Moyes failure

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane. Picture: Getty

“He certainly had a hard start but I’d look at the chief executive (Ed Woodward), he didn’t get the deals done,” Keane said on ITV. “I think it’s a shame, he (Moyes) should have been given more time. Some of the players should be ashamed of themselves, they really let him down.”

Asked how much responsibility belonged to Ferguson for picking Moyes, Keane added: “I wouldn’t say that it was his pick. He certainly put his name forward but the club have to make a decision so you can’t be critical of Sir Alex. For David Moyes, seventh in the league is disappointing but you need people around you, the support, and I don’t think he’s had that, certainly from the players.”

Gary Neville is disappointed with the way United have handled the sacking of Moyes and saddened that the Scot’s exit proved to be an undignified one. “The last 15, 16 hours or however long it’s been, I don’t like it, it’s not the way in which the club should portray itself,” said the former right-back. “But it’s the modern world, it’s how things seem to be dealt with now, but I’m a traditionalist and I think it could have been dealt with a whole lot better. I believe in managers being given time, I think they should be allowed to complete their work. The idea of giving people three and four and six-year contracts and then getting rid of them after ten months is something that’s foreign to me.

“However, there’s no disguising that the football has been poor, the results have been poor, as a fan I’ve not enjoyed watching it – I’m sure David Moyes himself hasn’t enjoyed watching it. The players have to take massive responsibility. I never once during my 17, 18-year career at United turned around after a game and thought ‘you lost us that game boss’.

“It’s always the players. Players have to take responsibility, accountability in football. Those players there are not as bad as they have been showing. These are players who were champions nine months ago and the decline has been surprising to say the least.”