Former Bolton Wanderers defender Gretar Steinsson has backed Louis van Gaal for success with Manchester United.
Steinsson played for Van Gaal at AZ Alkmaar.
"Van Gaal is not just a manager," Steinsson told the Manchester Evening News. "He becomes a father figure for players. He looks after them and looks after the staff.
"In that way he is just like Sir Alex Ferguson was with a lot of his players. You hear about Ferguson's hair dryer treatment and you hear about Van Gaal's emotional outbursts at half-time and after a game.
"But it's only because they care about the players and the people they work with. They want the best out of them.
"They both have extremely high standards and work hard at what they do. They expect nothing less in return.
"If they can do it, they expect other people around them to do the same. Van Gaal will demand a lot of the players but only because he sets his standards so high, just like Ferguson did.
"That's why he will fit so perfectly into United. I never had any first-hand experience of Ferguson but reading interviews by him and also his book, you see a lot of comparisons.
"Van Gaal is a disciplinarian. He expects players to work within the rules and if they do that then you will have no problem with him.
"He will be a perfect fit for what United need now. They need to renovate the squad. But they need someone strong who can bring in players and have the pedigree to attract top players even though United are not in the Champions League. He is someone who can do that."
