Paul Scholes: Why Manchester United won't win the Premier League title

Louis van Gaal has restored the fear factor but the club needed to buy more players

Louis van Gaal waves to the Old Trafford faithful (Getty Images)

Paul Scholes has ruled out the prospect of Manchester United winning the Premier League this season.

In his first exclusive column for The Independent, the Old Trafford legend admits the arrival of new manager Louis van Gaal has restored the fear factor that was so missing during David Moyes' disastrous reign last season. But Scholes is concerned United have failed to spend enough in the transfer market to be considered genuine title contenders.

“For all the benefit I believe Van Gaal will bring in the long term,” he writes, “I find it hard to see them as Premier League title contenders this season. My instinct is the title will be between Manchester City and Chelsea with United, Liverpool and Arsenal in competition for the two remaining Champions League places.

“United have not signed enough players in this window, even allowing for Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera. To my mind, they needed a top-level midfielder, of which there were very few available this summer. Just two, in fact. And Cesc Fabregas and Toni Kroos have already made their moves.”

Read Paul Scholes' first exclusive column for The Independent