Gary Neville and Roy Keane play 'keep, last straw or ditch' for Man United squad along with Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright ahead of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's minority takeover – so which stars did they give the chop?

Gary Neville and Roy Keane have discussed whether Manchester United should keep Erik ten Hag as manager when Sir Jim Ratcliffe finally completes his £1.25bn minority stake purchase. 

The two former Man United stars were joined by Jamie Carragher and Ian Wright in evaluating which players the club should keep, who is on their last straw and who should be ditched.

INEOS chief Ratcliffe will soon complete a £1.25billion purchase of 25 per cent of United that will hand him control of football operations at Old Trafford. 

It has led to speculation over the changes the British billionaire could enact when his minority takeover finally goes through. 

A midweek win over Chelsea saw Ten Hag’s side climb to within three points of Manchester City in fourth but United have struggled for large parts of the campaign.

Off the field issues have compounded individual errors that has seen the squad suffer disappointing losses which, among other things, has left their Champions League hopes hanging in the balance. 

As a result, former United defender Neville led a game of ‘keep, last straw or ditch’ of United’s current roster with his fellow former Premier League stars on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast.

The quartet were united in their opinions of 16 players, although that union was most frequent for players they’d be happy to see the back of, among them Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, Antony, Christian Eriksen, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans.

Summer loan signing Sofyan Amrabat was another player that Neville and Co unanimously decided to ‘ditch’, despite being only a few months into his career at the club. 

On the other end of the spectrum was Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount. 

Marcus Rashford eventually received an harmonious ‘keep’ but not before some hesitation from Keane, who believes the 26-year-old needs to start showing consistency.

‘I wouldn’t be sure about Marcus,’ the former United skipper said. ‘It’s the whole package. His personality, the mood swings – he’s a talented player. 

‘He’s having these dips where we’re always talking about his confidence, off the field stuff; it seems to be constant with him. Just turn up every week and do the business.’

The group was most divided on the issue of the manager. Both Red Devils legends decided to ‘keep’ the Dutchman, deciding that he remains the best person for the mammoth job. 

However, Carragher opted for ‘last straw’, while Wright chose to ‘ditch’ him – despite Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Chelsea affording the Dutchman a brief reprieve from the near constant pressure he has faced this campaign. 

But there are tests before the end of the year with the tough fixtures against Liverpool and Aston Villa, as well as a visit from Bayern Munich that will decide their fate in Europe.  

Mail Sport understands that officials had hoped to broadcast the arrival of Ratcliffe ahead of the clash with Thomas Tuchel’s side on Tuesday but sources in the US have disclosed that ‘legal structural’ matters have pushed the date back.

There are not thought to be any obstacles or concerns but the delay may well frustrate supporters who see the arrival of the United-supporting local businessman as the beginning of the end for the Glazer family, who will retain a majority stake.

Should matters remain unresolved the upcoming Christmas break could push the announcement into the new year, although those involved hope that is not the case.