Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane believes some players at the club should be "ashamed of themselves" after the sacking of manager David Moyes.

The Republic of Ireland assistant manager, speaking in his role as pundit for ITV ahead of the Champions League semi-final first leg clash between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, saidthe Scot deserved more time to prove he was the man to follow Alex Ferguson.

“He certainly had a hard start last summer when he took the job,” said Keane. “I think the chief executive (Ed Woodward) didn’t get the deals done that he wanted.

“A lot of negativity. They had a slow start, they had no momentum. And I think its a shame, he should have been given more time. I think some of the players should be ashamed of themselves. I think they really let him down.

Keane dismissed the notion that Ferguson should shoulder some of the blame after apparently hand-picking Moyes.

“I wouldn’t say it was his pick,” said the Corkman. “He put his name forward and the club had to eventually make a decision.

“You obviously can’t be too critical of Alex Ferguson.

“David Moyes, to be seventh in the league is disappointing, he’ll take responsibility for that. You still need people around you to help you in every way they can. I don’t think he’s had that support, particularly from the players.”

He added: “I think he deserved more time, definitely.”