Van Gaal: Morgan Schneiderlin will fill Roy Keane's boots at Old Trafford

The Dutchman expects the French international to make an immediate impact following his £24m move from Southampton.

If he is right, it could finally see United fill the void left by Keane’s departure a decade ago, with the Reds failing consistently to find a world-class midfield enforcer ever since.

The Corkman’s shoes have never truly been filled, with Owen Hargreaves, Darren Fletcher and Anderson all failing to match his influence.

But Van Gaal, who has also signed Bastian Schweinsteiger, believes Schneiderlin is ready-made for Old Trafford. “Morgan is a player from the Premier League so he can cope with the Premier League,” he said.

“Our selection was not in balance and I have already mentioned that I want to make the balance with midfielders, so you could expect that I shall buy two holding midfielders.

“And Morgan Schneiderlin is the type that I think can play in our system and in our philosophy.

“Manchester United only buy players who can make a contribution for that. We are not buying just for buying.”

United have spent the last 10 years trying to find a player to command midfield in the manner of Keane, who left in 2005.

Hargreaves was considered an ideal replacement for the former captain when signing from Bayern Munich for £17m in 2007. But despite winning the title and the Champions League in his first season at the club, the former England international’s United career was destroyed by injuries.

Fletcher was highly-valued by Alex Ferguson, but saw his progress curtailed by illness, while Anderson was a major disappointment. Van Gaal was determined to overhaul his midfield this summer after becoming concerned by his side’s over-reliance on Michael Carrick.

Kevin Strootman’s on-going knee problems saw him turn his attention to Schneiderlin, while German international Schweinsteiger adds further authority in the middle of the park.