David Moyes sacking by Manchester United was 'one of toughest days of my life,' reveals Phil Neville

Manchester United coach Phil Neville has said the day his long-time mentor David Moyes was sacked as manager at Old Trafford was "one of the toughest of my life".

Neville, who played nearly as many games for Moyes at Everton as he had previously for United before leaving in 2005, was taken back to Old Trafford as a coach by Moyes when the Scot became manager last summer.

Now Neville has admitted that Moyes' dismissal two weeks ago hit him hard. Speaking at the BBC's World Cup launch, he said: "To see a man who for the last eight years has put so much faith in me and so much confidence in me, to give me a platform to either play or to coach, to see him lose his job was probably one of the toughest days I've had in football.

"[Sir Alex] Ferguson or Moyes have been the bedrock of my professional life, so to see somebody lose his job... it took a while to properly sink in really. It was really disappointing because I class David as a friend as well."

Neville wants to stay on at United under the new manager despite helping oversee the club's worst season since 1990. He does not know if that will happen but certainly recognises the size of the task ahead for whoever takes over the job full-time.

"A club that should be challenging for league titles to finish sixth, seventh is obviously not good enough," he said.

He blamed the problem on United losing seven times at Old Trafford. "That for any club in the Premier League is not acceptable," he said.