Gary Neville responds to fan asking if he will follow Rio Ferdinand in calling for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to leave Man Utd

GARY NEVILLE has hit back in defence of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand admitted the Norwegian’s time at the club may be up.

The Red Devils were humiliated at Old Trafford yet again on Saturday as they were outclassed in a 2-0 defeat to local rivals and Premier League champions Manchester City.

GettyNeville remains consistent in his decision not to call for Solskjaer to be sacked[/caption]

BT SportFerdinand admitted Solskjaer’s time may be up after the Man City defeat[/caption]

The loss has left many pundits scrambling for answers, with Solskjaer’s ex-teammate Ferdinand conceding the manager should ‘hand over the baton’.

In response to Rio‘s comments, a social media user asked if Neville would also call for Solskjaer to be relieved of his duties or to step aside.

Speaking on Twitter, the ex-Man Utd full-back replied: “Never. Thank you for asking though.”

United have won just one of their last six Prem games, a run which includes defeats to Aston Villa, Leicester, Liverpool and Man City.

Solskjaer’s men have dropped to sixth in the table, nine points off league leaders Chelsea after just 11 games.

It was a dismal afternoon for United on Saturday as they were utterly dominated by Pep Guardiola’s City side.

And the performance left Ferdinand telling his podcast FIVE: “Now might be the time for that baton [managerial role] to be handed over to somebody else who can take us on.

“Ole would leave now with his head held high. From when he came in to where he got us, at the beginning of this season, has been positive.

“He has come in and done what he was brought in to do. He has given the fans hope again. 

“But is he going to take us to titles and win the Champions League? I have to be honest with myself and I don’t think so, no.” 

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Man Utd head into the international break knowing when they return they face a crucial seven days.

They travel to Watford in the Prem on November 20 before then heading to Spain for a crunch Champions League tie against Villarreal.

As if that wasn’t hectic enough, five days later they then head to Stamford Bridge to take on the current Premier League leaders.