Mikael Silvestre names five players Erik ten Hag should keep at Man Utd

Mikael Silvestre says only five players from the current Manchester United squad deserve to be at the club next season.

Sixth placed United are enduring one of their worst campaigns in the last 30 years as they struggle to finish in the Premier League’s top four with their top stars underperforming.

Following the Red Devils’ 4-0 defeat at Anfield, interim manager Ralf Rangnick revealed as many as 10 new players could arrive at Old Trafford as the club embarks on an overhaul this summer.

However, Silvestre, who played in a red shirt for nine years, thinks United should not rush their recruitment and believes there is a spine incoming manager Erik ten Hag should look to build his team from.

He told Sky Sports: ‘Well first of all in one window you can’t sign 10 players, it doesn’t make sense. So it’s going to take two or three windows, and I’m talking summer windows, to really adjust the squad to reflect what the new manager wants.

‘And for the ones that need to stay for sure, I would say the backbone of the team. Bruno Fernandes signed a new contract, so he’s one that needs to stay.

‘David de Gea, Raphael Varane who we haven’t seen much of this season, Harry Maguire needs to improve. I think he’s a good leader, he’s having a difficult time at the moment, but he needs to stick to United and work hard to go back to his best.

‘And I would say Marcus Rashford would need to stay as well. Those guys I think have got United in their heart but for the rest I think there is questions marks for all of them.’

The lack of desire to keep the current squad together only serves to highlight United’s recent failures in the transfer market.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, the club have spent £1 billion on the likes of Angel Di Maria, Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini but are now set to go five years without a trophy.

Meanwhile, a huge investment in transfers could be needed again this summer with Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingaard and Edinson Cavani all set to leave the club as their contracts run out.

Speaking after United’s defeat at Liverpool, former defender Gary Neville hit out at his old club’s transfer mistakes of the last decade.

He said: ‘Coming to the recruitment side, what United have done is bring players in with piano introductions like (Alexis) Sanchez or (Paul) Pogba. They’ve elevated the player above the manager at the football club.

‘You go to Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City and the manager is the primary figure at the football club.’

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