‘I needed more time’ – Frank de Boer sacked as Inter Milan manager

The appointment of De Boer in the summer was heralded as a big coup for Internazionale, with the Dutch coach highly rated after spending six years and winning four league titles with Ajax.

But Inter’s start to the season has been disastrous, with the Nerazzurri winning just four of their opening 11 games in Serie A and finding themselves bottom of their Europa League group at the halfway stage.

"Too bad it ended like this," De Boer posted on his official Twitter account, which he shares with his twin brother Ronald.

"This project needed more time to be carried out. I want to thank all the fans for all the support you’ve given me over these months.

"Forza Inter.”

Inter sit 12th in the Italian league following Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Sampdoria.

Coach Stefano Vecchi will take control of their Europa League game against Southampton on Thursday.

Alessandro Brunetti: In the end, De Boer lost control of the dressing room. He had issues with some players – Geoffrey Kondogbia, Felipe Melo, Steven Jovetic, Gabriel Barbosa and Eder, to name a few – and they lost confidence in him. It's normal after so many defeats.

Currently, former Lazio boss Stefano Pioli is the favourite for the job. Inter director Piero Ausilio and vice president Javier Zanetti would back him, but Suning Commerce Group (the Chinese retail giants who own a controlling stake in the club) favour a manager with an international profile like Andres Villas-Boas or Guus Hiddink.