Gary Neville has named Real Madrid icon Sergio Ramos and Liverpool bruiser Virgil Van Dijk as the two central defenders he believes would improve Manchester United’s defence the most.

United legend Neville was answering questions from fans on Twitter, and covered subjects from Tottenham’s chances of winning silverware, his time at United and the fortunes of Salford City.

When it came to who would improve United’s troublesome central defence, Neville chose two players regarded as two of the best in the world in their position.

United have had issues at centre-back this season, with Jose Mourinho frequently changing his partnership at the heart of defence. Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof have emerged as the first choice pairing in recent weeks, but Eric Bailly and Phil Jones have also been used.

Mourinho made no secret of his desire to sign a centre-back in the summer, with Toby Alderwiereld, Harry Maguire and Jerome Boateng among the names linked with the club – while Ramos briefly flirted with a move to Old Trafford two summers ago.

However, United did not want to be forced into spending over the odds and did not sign any of Mourinho’s targets in defence.

Real captain Ramos has been at the Bernabeu for 13 years and has won four La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, two European Championships and the World Cup among his 22 career trophies.

Van Dijk, meanwhile, has improved Liverpool’s defence to one of the meanest in the league after joining last season for £70m.