Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson should have included goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and Roy Keane in his list of world-class players that he managed.

The Scotsman controversially claimed in his new book Leading that during his 27 years at Old Trafford, he only coached four world-class players - Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona.

Ferguson's claims have sparked debate over what criteria should be considered when deciding who is deemed one of the best footballers in the world.

Neville regards a world-class player as someone who is the best in their position at a given time.

Speaking as a Sky Sports pundit on Monday Night Football, Neville said: "The one that stood out for me is Peter Schmeichel. He was definitely from my career at Manchester United a world-class goalkeeper. If he wasn't a world-class goalkeeper then I don't know what was. Roy Keane, as well.

"At the end of the day, it's people's opinion. This is just noise really, it's pub talk."

Neville spent his entire playing career at United, making 602 appearances in total.