The Toffees have won just one of their last 13 league games and Benitez's dismissal comes after the club appeared to back him over a high-profile dispute with former defender Lucas Digne and the exit of director of football Marcel Brands last month.

"Benitez was always climbing a mountain at Everton," former Liverpool defender Murphy told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"But they've backed him in signing players, they've let him sell Digne and now they've disregarded those decisions and got rid of him.

"It's an absolute shambles."

Former Everton forward James McFadden says he expected the club to sack the manager.

"It's not a surprise Benitez has gone - the results have been really poor and the performances have been beyond poor.

"It was such a strange appointment. The fans didn't want him and it was always only a matter of time before this happened."