Ex-Manchester United star Roy Keane tells interim manager Ralf Rangnick he must build the team around 3 players

Speaking on Sky Sports (h/t Mirror), former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has identified three key players in the squad that he believes interim manager Ralf Rangnick must build his team around.

Following United’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Aston Villa on Saturday, Keane backed the idea of a rebuild at Old Trafford and identified Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Raphael Varane as the players that Rangnick needs to use as a foundation to bring success.

Keane said that a top coach could come in over the summer and build up a team around these players, along with getting some fresh young talent in at United. When asked who he wants to keep at United, he said:

“Bruno sure, people like Ronaldo, Varane, there are some good young players there. If a top coach comes in – at least for a good starting point – there are senior players there, at least their contracts are nearly up you can move them on, get some fresh young talent in at United.”

The Manchester United squad is estimated to have around £877m worth of talent, yet Keane believes that there are just three players in the team who are worth sticking onto. The Irishman admitted that he is unsure about who else from the current squad he would keep in a potential rebuild.

Fernandes, whom Keane named, was one of United’s standout performers at Villa Park last night and scored both goals in their 2-2 draw against the Villans. His second goal even impressed Keane, with the former United captain praising the midfielder’s first touch to set up the goal.

Is Roy Keane making sense?

The Red Devils’ midfield, however, was given a scathing review by Keane, highlighting that it is the team’s major weakness this season. United squandered a two-goal lead against Villa to end the game in a draw.

“United get 2-0 in front and you’re thinking it’s game over. Then again you saw, I suppose, the weaknesses in United. In particular in midfield. Then they gave away a couple of goals, which will be disappointing.”

In what is quickly becoming a disappointing season for the fans, United once again ended a league game winless after the latest 2-2 draw against Villa. The draw was particularly hurtful to watch as we saw the team let slip a commanding two-goal lead in the last 15 minutes of the game.

Few fans can dispute what Keane said about the team’s performance last night, or the players he identified to build a base around for the future. Apart from Ronaldo, Bruno, and Varane, only David De Gea seems to have stepped up this season, as the shot-stopper once again came to United’s rescue at times.

But then again, it is really not healthy to demand a rebuild and want the majority of the team scrapped every time we suffer a setback. This summer saw us add three top players in Jadon Sancho, Ronaldo, and Varane. They were supposed to be the missing pieces of our PL title-winning puzzle. But once again, the club is back to square one in terms of results and performances.

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If these kinds of results continue through the rest of the campaign, we are sure to lose out on a top-four finish as well as the chance to win some silverware in the cup competitions. We cannot always rely on Cristiano or Bruno to come with the goals, and the team will need to collectively pull up their socks if we are to finish the season strongly.

Ralf Rangnick certainly seems to have a job on his hands in the coming weeks and must come with a way to inspire the team to victory soon. A summer rebuild, as Keane suggested, may be needed if we are to win some trophies in the future.