Paul Scholes: I am scared about Manchester United’s future

Louis van Gaal needs to stop decline – or club will end up in wilderness, says 'The Independent’s' columnist

Club legend Paul Scholes is scared United could disappear into 'the wilderness' (Getty Images)

Paul Scholes today admits that he is “scared” about Manchester United’s future and names five players they should buy immediately to avoid further decline.

In only his second exclusive column for The Independent, the Old Trafford legend reveals how he urged the club to buy Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas (who is now at Chelsea) and Bayern’s Toni Kroos (now at Real Madrid) – and now fears the club have slipped to a level that puts them below Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League.

Scholes writes: “I am scared for United. Genuinely scared they could go into the wilderness in the same way Liverpool did in the 1990s.

Exclusive Paul Scholes column: Manchester United need five experienced players who can turn round a desperate situation

“What do they need? Five players. Five proper players who can hit the ground running and turn round a situation that looks desperate. Let me be clear: I am sick of having to criticise the club to which I gave my life as a footballer. But United need to arrest their decline.”