Manchester United's players lost confidence and belief under David Moyes and played poor football but the manager's sacking on Tuesday showed a "lack of decency", according to former United defender Gary Neville.

“I believe in managers being given time, I think they should be allowed to complete the work. The idea of giving people three and four and six year contracts and then getting rid of them after 10 months is something that is foreign to me,” Neville told Sky Sports.

"However there is no disguising that the football this season 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."

Neville made over 400 appearances for United in a trophy-laden career under previous boss Alex Ferguson and said the managerial landscape has changed completely from his early days in the game.

“It’s a different world to what it was in the 1980s when (former managers Dave) Sexton, (Ron) Atkinson and Sir Alex Ferguson were given time for their difficult moments,” he said.

“That’s just not going to happen any more. It’s something that I don’t like about the modern game, the fact that managers get sacked every 12 months.

“I genuinely believe there is a lack of decency now in the way in which football managers get dealt with. They are so much in the firing line.

“You accept it’s a pressurised job and they get well paid for it . . . football managers now get tossed around and chucked about, disregarded, rubbished. Decent men, good men basically just get thrown away and chucked in the bin.

“We used to ridicule Italy and other countries for sacking managers every 10 minutes and now we’ve actually turned into that.”

Neville, part of the England coaching set up, said that the current crop of United players, most of whom helped the club to the Premier League title last season, should shoulder their share of the blame for this season's slump.

“The players have to take massive responsibility,” he said.

“They are the ones out on the football pitch. I never once in my 18-year career at United turned around after the game and thought ‘you lost us that game, boss’. It’s always the players.

“Players have to take responsibility and accountability in football.

"Those players are not as bad either as they've been showing. I've played with a lot of those players, they love the club and are desperate to do well for the club but they've just completely lost confidence and belief. That's ultimately what's cost David Moyes.

“The decline has been surprising to say the least.”