Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio insists that sacking head coach Frank de Boer was the right decision for the club.

The former Ajax boss signed a three-year contract to take charge at San Siro in August, but was dismissed on November 1 after losing seven of his opening 14 matches.

De Boer's agent felt he was not given a fair chance to impress at the club before he was replaced by Stefano Pioli, but Ausilio maintains that they had little option.

"If you lose 50 per cent of your games, it's impossible to go forward," he told Mediaset.

"Let's give time to Pioli to build him team."

Inter face a derby clash with AC Milan on Sunday looking for what would be just a third win in eight Serie A matches.

They sit ninth in the table, eight points behind Milan, who occupy the third and final Champions League spot.