Roy Keane has taken a low-key swipe at Manchester United's stars following the ejection of Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils legend appeared to pin responsibility on the players in a cryptic post, accompanied by a photo of him on a countryside walk.
Ten Hag was told that he was sacked in a meeting at Carrington on Monday morning with CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth.
He leaves after two-and-a-half years with United 14th in the Premier League after a 2-1 defeat by West Ham on Sunday. Ruud van Nistelrooy is interim manager.
Despite Ten Hag being widely criticised, Keane preferred to direct the glare on United's stars, writing: 'In good teams, coaches hold players accountable. In great teams, players hold players accountable.'
Roy Keane has had a subtle dig at Man United's stars, writing: 'In good teams, coaches hold players accountable. In great teams, players hold players accountable'
It comes after Erik ten Hag was sacked following two-and-a-half years in charge at the club
The Dutchman was informed of his fate on Monday morning on the back of a 2-1 West Ham loss
That opinion echoed the words of Mail Sport's Manchester United correspondent Nathan Salt on X: 'Players let Ten Hag down like they’ll let the next man down and the one after. Never ending cycle.'
Former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez, Brentford's Thomas Frank, Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim and ex-Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic are believed to have been sounded out as replacements.
Ten Hag was in the dark over his fate until Monday morning. His meeting with Berrada and Ashworth is said to have been ''respectful and dignified'.
Mail Sport has discovered that sacking Ten Hag is costing United around £15million. They triggered a one-year contract extension in the summer after deciding not to recruit a replacement.
Speaking back in July, after signing the one-year contract extension, Ten Hag said: 'I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined.
'However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.
'In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.'
Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup earlier this year, two trophies he was insistent on reminding people when he faced criticism.
Ruud van Nistelrooy will assume interim charge as United's chiefs seek a replacement
Man United suffered their fourth league defeat of the season against West Ham on Sunday
In his first season he led United to third in the Premier League, a marked improvement on the disastrous campaign before which saw them stumble to sixth under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
However, they were unable to build on that success. United finished bottom of their Champions League group before recording their worst-ever Premier League finish of eighth.
Ten Hag won plaudits early on for how he handled stars, asserting his authority with a stern approach towards Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho.
But pundits continually pointed out that United lacked a disernible plan and they suffered some heavy defeats during Ten Hag's reign, be that 7-0 to Liverpool, 4-0 to Crystal Palace and Brentford, or the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham earlier this season which could have been more.
In a statement on the club website, United said: 'Erik ten Hag has left his role as Manchester United men’s first-team manager.
'Erik was appointed in April 2022 and led the club to two domestic trophies, winning the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
'We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future.
'Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, supported by the current coaching team, whilst a permanent head coach is recruited'.
Ten Hag's record at Manchester United across all competitions since his arrival in 2022
Edin Terzic (left) and Thomas Frank (right) are among those linked with the permanent role
Ruben Amorim (left) and Xavi (right) have also been earmarked as contenders to replace him
Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada will now be on the hunt for a new Red Devils boss
It's understood that the decision by United's leadership team was collective and unanimous, even though sources say it was 'a difficult and finely balanced' one.
He was given the chance to work within a new structure after Omar Berrada was appointed as chief executive in the summer alongside new sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.
His backroom staff was also overhauled with Van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake coming in as his assistants to replace Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag.
However, results and performances did not improve as United won just three of their opening nine Premier League fixtures and also dropped to 21st in the Europa League without a victory in three games.
It's believed that the United hierarchy wanted continuity after the period of change but did not see enough evidence of momentum or progress to convince them the team was on the right path.
The club believe they gave Ten Hag all the tools to succeed and sources say there were 'no excuses' for the poor start to the season that heaped more pressure on the 54-year-old Dutchman after he was given a reprieve after winning the Cup Final in May.