Louis van Gaal is a mad genius but Manchester United won't challenge for Premier League title this season, claims club legend Paul Scholes

• Manchester United legend Paul Scholes doesn't believe Red Devils can challenge for Premier League title this season
• Former United star admits new manager Louis van Gaal has restored fear factor at Old Trafford
• 39-year-old believes Dutcham earned instant respect from players
• Scholes predicts Chelsea and Manchester City will battle it out for the title

Paul Scholes has labelled Louis van Gaal a ‘mad genius’ as the Manchester United manager prepares for his first Barclays Premier League game against Swanseaon Saturday.

Scholes says the Dutch coach is prone to ‘going off his head’ when his team fail to follow orders during training sessions or matches.

The former United midfielder, also criticised his former club for failing to bid for Toni Kroos, signed by Real Madrid for £20million, or former Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

‘From what I’ve seen (Van Gaal) looks a bit mad. He’s a bit like a mad genius, a bit crazy. He’s obviously very good at his job from where he’s been. I’ve not seen him work  but I have seen clips on the telly and one moment he’s hugging someone for doing a great pass and the next, if something’s not right, he’s going off his head. He’s brought a bit of fear, which is no bad thing.

'I played for 20 years for Sir Alex Ferguson and he could be a scary man. Fear can bring performances from you. There’s no doubt these players need to perform this year. If they don’t, I don’t think they’ll be there for very long.

‘Players will know where they stand, which is what you want. You knew where you stood with Sir Alex from what you’d done on the Saturday. If you’d done well, he’d pat you on the back. If you hadn’t, you probably wouldn’t be playing the next week.’

United finished seventh in the Premier League last season and fired manager David Moyes in April after they lost to Everton.

Now Scholes believes Champions League qualification will be seen as a success in Van Gaal’s first season, insisting they have no chance of winning the title.

‘Success will be the Champions League,’ he said. ‘It’s between City and Chelsea (for the title). The next two places are between United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

‘There are a lot of players in that (United) team who have won leagues before. They are capable of getting close. We’ll have to see how good the manager is, and if he can bring a couple more players in, although he might think he has enough as it is. Chelsea and Man City have got stronger squads but in the end, squads don’t matter - it’s what you do on the field.

‘In May, hopefully United will be proving people like me wrong.’ 

Scholes was puzzled by United’s failure to bid for world-class players such as Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger or former Arsenal midfielder Fabregas.

‘A Fabregas, a Toni Kroos or a Schweinsteiger could add real quality to the team, but that’s up to the manager,’ Scholes added.

He also claimed confidence was at an all-time low at United when he was brought in with Ryan Giggs for the final four games of last season after Moyes’ dismissal.

BT Sport’s new pundit has dismissed Arsenal’s title chances, despite their 3-0 victory over champions Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend.

‘(Alexis) Sanchez is a good signing but is that the type of player they need?’ he said. ‘They needed a top centre half and a strong midfield player. If they had that, they could challenge.’