Gary Neville attributes Manchester United‘s predicament to the club’s leadership, beginning with the April 2014 sacking of David Moyes.

Former Everton boss Moyes was appointed as successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired in May 2013, and was given a six-year contract, before being dismissed by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward after 10 months.

United have endured a miserable start to the Premier League season under Jose Mourinho, with defeat at West Ham on Saturday making it their worst opening to a campaign since 1989-90.

Former United and England defender Neville, now a Sky Sports pundit, wrote on Twitter: “This mess started when United sacked David Moyes after 8 months and we lost all sense of the values that the club had been built on for 100 years.

“It’s not the manager it’s the lack of football leadership above him. They are bouncing all over the place with no plan!”

Moyes was succeeded by Louis van Gaal and then Mourinho, who won the League Cup and Europa League in his first season as boss.

Put to him that Moyes should never have been appointed, Neville said: “That’s another question but when they sacked him after 8 months it went into pinball, reactive mode and chasing it! No plan…”

Neville’s former United team-mate Rio Ferdinand has called for a decision to be made, with scrutiny heaped on the relationship between Mourinho and midfielder Paul Pogba.

Ferdinand stopped short of saying Mourinho should go, but the former defender did say the situation cannot continue.

Ferdinand told BT Sport on Saturday: “It’s difficult to say that (it’s the end game) but I believe the powers that be have a decision to make.

“You can’t let a situation like this continue through the season, things leaking out in the press, little wars going on within the changing room that are creeping out and everyone finding out about it, players on one side maybe, Mourinho on the other.

“If that continues, it’ll be one of the worst seasons in the history of the club.

“Someone has to make a decision right now, bang, either someone goes… Something’s got to give.”