Former club captain Roy Keane has suggested that Manchester United are in need of a huge clear-out, name-checking only Raphael Varane, Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo when discussing players to keep.
The former United ace made the admission following Saturday's disappointing 2-2 draw with Aston Villa at Villa Park, in which Ralf Rangnick's troops squandered a two-goal lead with less than a quarter of an hour of the contest remaining.
Fernandes, scoring either side of the half-time interval, had fired United into a 2-0 lead, but Villa, inspired by youngster Jacob Ramsey, got themselves back on level terms, courtesy of goals from the youngster himself and debutant Philippe Coutinho.
The result, of course, automatically triggered yet more unwanted negativity for United, with Keane suggesting that the club is in need of a much-needed rebuild, with the squad both bloated and carrying players that are failing to live up to the billing.
However, the former Republic of Ireland international has acknowledged that United already have quality players to build around, as well as several promising youngsters who are looking to make the grade at Old Trafford.
"How many would I keep, you mean? I don't know, I really don't," Keane told Sky Sports when asked about the current state of the squad.
When directly asked by Sky Sports presenter David Jones whether he would like to see United retain Fernandes' services, Keane replied: "Yes. Oh yes, Bruno, people like [Cristiano] Ronaldo, it's not all doom and gloom.
"You have [Raphael] Varane, you have some good young players there."
Fernandes, despite not reaching the same levels as last term so far this season, showed what he can bring to the table against Villa on Saturday, with his brace a reminder of his outstanding talent.
Nevertheless, Keane remains eager to see the Portuguese star improve his leadership qualities.
"I think if you're playing in the team and you score two goals you have got to be pleased," he said.
"There is other parts to his game that he has got to improve on, particularly when he was talking about his leadership, but I think he has got to be happy with his performance.
"He got two good goals. I liked his goals, his composure, his decision-making and I liked a lot of other things about his game. We know he is a goal-threat and has got plenty of assists, which is important when you're a goalscorer.
"We can analyse what players can't do, but he does a lot more good than negative stuff. He wants his team to improve and that is where his leadership has to come into it."
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