Roy Keane says former Manchester United teammate Ryan Giggs would be worth £2 billion in today's "mind-boggling" transfer market as clubs command massive fees for "average" players.
The Republic of Ireland assistant manager expressed his surprise at some of the figures which have been paid this summer, with Paris Saint-Germain forking out a staggering €222 million for Neymar and preparing to invest heavily once again in Monaco's Kylian Mbappe.
Keane played in Sir Alex Ferguson's all-conquering Manchester United side alongside the likes of Peter Schmeichel, Jaap Stam, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Ruud van Nistelrooy, as well as Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, who cost Real Madrid £80m when he left Old Trafford eight summers ago.
Asked what Van Nistelrooy would cost now, he replied with a smile: "Ruud would certainly be worth in the market now probably a billion.
"David Beckham? A billion. Ryan Giggs? Two billion."
It is the prices which have been paid for players lower down the food chain which have most surprised Keane.
He said: "It's mind-boggling, the figures that are out there -- especially for the average players. If ever there was a time to be a professional player it's now. Average players are going for £35m. My goodness.
"I don't really analyse it too much, but that's the market place at the moment. There aren't many top players out there. The really big players are going for big money and it's filtering down now.
"When average players are going for £30-40m, it does make you scratch your head. But if the clubs are prepared to pay that, then it's not the players' fault."
Asked further how much he himself might cost nowadays, Keane answered: "£3.75m, I think."