Roy Keane has claimed Manchester United need to sell as many as ten first-team players in the upcoming transfer windows.
Erik ten Hag’s side have made a frustrating start to the season, with talk of dressing room discontent after a recent defeat to Newcastle as they pressure seemed to pile on the Dutchman.
That has eased somewhat after a much-needed win over Chelsea, one that lifts United to just three points behind Manchester City in fourth, but there are still plenty of questions for the manager and his players to answer.
United have not won a single away match against a side who were ninth or higher in the Premier League since Ten Hag took charge, and the club sit bottom of their Champions League group ahead of Bayern Munich’s visit next week. Only a victory over Bayern, and a draw between Copenhagen and Galatasaray, will be enough for United to qualify.
On the latest episode of The Overlap, Keane, along with Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright, went through each player in United’s squad and placed them into three categories: keep, last straw or ditch.
Keane called for major changes at Old Trafford, believing United need to sell Victor Lindelof, Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans in defence. The former United captain was similar ruthless further up the pitch, ditching Christian Eriksen, Sofyan Amrabat, Antony, Anthony Martial and the exiled Jadon Sancho.
The likes of Mason Mount, Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes were all kept by Keane, as was boss Ten Hag, but Luke Shaw and Andre Onana were among those placed in the last straw category.
Keane was also unconvinced by Marcus Rashford. The forward has scored just two goals this season and was dropped for the midweek win over Chelsea, with Keane growing frustrated over his lack of consistency.
“I wouldn’t be sure about Marcus,” Keane said.
“The whole package – his personality, his mood swings. He’s a talented player, but if you’re not going to work hard and you’re having these dips every now and then… there’s always talk about his confidence, off the field stuff. It seems to be constant with him.
“Just turn up every week and do the business.”
He added: “Marcus is 26. When’s the penny going to drop for him?”