Gary Neville has admitted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sacking at Manchester United became inevitable after a woeful run of results over the last few weeks, although he claimed Solskjaer had given the club its soul back.

Confirmation that Solskjaer had been relieved of his duties came on Sunday morning, after a woeful performance in the 4-1 defeat at Watford less than 24 hours earlier.

Now Neville has given his verdict on the exit of his former team-mate, as he conceded the club had no action other than to act now.

"Ole will reflect with sadness but he can be proud of the work he did in the first two years. He rebuilt the soul of the club, the club was in a dark place at the end of the Jose Mourinho era," Neville told Sky Sports.

"Ole can't complain, he's been given three years, he's been backed in the transfer market. David Moyes was given eight months and kicked out, so I don't think Ole can complain about the time he's been given and the money he's been afforded."

"It has been coming for the last few weeks. The performances have been terrible. It was a wimpish performance at Watford. Their performance levels over the last few weeks have dipped and when a manager can't get a performance out of his players then, in this game, you are going to lose your job. The team have looked all over the place.

"He has always had that result in the past that has pulled him out of the mire when you thought it might get a little bit too tricky for him. But this time the results have just got worse and worse. The worst thing has been the performances.

"Yesterday, some of the defending is absolutely woeful, the goalkeeper, the defenders. It is a back four or back five that have played together a number of times and Watford are not the best team in the league by a long stretch. They mauled Manchester United.

"Ole could not get a performance out of them in the end. The players looked drained of confidence.

"I am not surprised today that it has ended. The worst thing for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have been if he had become a bridge for a dark period in the club.

"Hopefully, it will be a bright future. They need to get the next appointment right. Maybe that will be at the end of the season."

Neville was vocal in his stance that Antonio Conte was not the man to take over from Solskajer prior to his appointment at Tottenham, yet United are now rudderless with Michael Carrick placed in caretaker charge.

"They have not planned for this. They have not prepared for it. I don’t think anybody would have done," added Neville. "It has deteriorated so badly and so quickly.

"Michael Carrick takes over now. I suspect the only option is to put someone in until the end of the season. That has been obvious for the last few weeks. If there was a world-class manager sat on the shelf ready to go, Ole would have been gone before now. I think, one, the fact that they believed in him and, two, tried to let it go, but thirdly, the fact that they have not had anyone to appoint sat there in the wings waiting.

"There will be people who say Antonio Conte has just gone to Tottenham. He was never coming to Manchester United. Manchester United’s board were never going to appoint Antonio Conte whether you agree with that or not.

"I don’t think Antonio Conte would have been a fit for Manchester United and I don’t think there is an absolutely perfect fit available at this time so they have to bring someone in temporarily until someone is available who can take forward the work that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done."