Former Holland boss says he will lean on assistant Ryan Giggs for support

Dutch coach is adamant he will be a success at United despite elderly managers like Fabio Capello and Sven Goran Eriksson struggling in England

Louis van Gaal celebrated his 63rd birthday on Friday. Next weekend, the next chapter in his life begins in earnest when Manchester United play Swansea City in the first Premier League game under his charge.

Relatively elderly managers haven’t always fared well when working in England for the first time.

Fabio Capello didn’t have the patience or inclination to learn English properly after a career in Italy and Spain. Sven Goran Eriksson used a chauffeur to ferry him about because he felt he was too old to learn how to drive on the left.

VIDEO: Scroll down to see footage of United signings Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw

Getting his message across: Louis van Gaal is confident of success at United after taking over this summer

Jubilant: The 63-year-old says he will be active as United boss, and will drive himself to work, despite his age

VIDEO Van Gaal wants reinforcements

Van Gaal insists he won’t be a fossil. ‘I’ll drive myself to the training ground,’ he promises. ‘I have already driven in England, in 1996 in a brand new Mercedes 600 SL.

‘I was invited by the Umbro president and I drove myself. It’s an easy job! It is only a problem when it is late and there are no other cars there, otherwise you can just follow the car in front of you.

‘I think I’ll be able to adapt though I’ll only know for certain when the Premier League begins. Football is football everywhere and, I’m sorry, but I have survived.’

For all the warnings about Van Gaal being authoritarian and demanding, he cuts an affable and relaxed figure as he sits down with the Mail on Sunday ahead of the big kick off.

He likes to intersperse his pantomime glares with plenty of smiles and laughter.

Back to winning ways: United claimed the International Champions Cup on their pre-season tour of the US

Undoubtedly, he’s had an intense start to life at Old Trafford.

Delayed by Holland’s run to the World Cup semi-finals, he’s been in his new job just three weeks and travelled nearly 15,000 miles in that time. A positive omen is the club have already won two trophies under his leadership; the International Champions Cup by beating Roma, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Liverpool in America, and the Manchester Senior Cup, in which 18-year-old striker James Wilson scored four goals in the final against Manchester City.

Only two new players have arrived so far, Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera but Van Gaal doesn’t gloss over the fact that the team, who finished seventh last year under David Moyes, are short in certain areas.

Luke who's talking: Luke Shaw admits it will be a dream come to true to make his Old Trafford debut

New signing: Ander Herrera (centre) was overwhelmed by Manchester United's support in the States

Interestingly, he does little to dampen speculation that he’d be interested in securing Real Madrid’s £55million winger Angel Di Maria and £15million Ajax wing-back Daley Blind, particularly after Barcelona secured the signing of Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen. Roma’s Kevin Strootman is a January target.

‘You cannot compare players how the players will do under the guidance of Moyes with those same players under the guidance of Louis van Gaal. Every trainer and coach and manager wants a different style of play and different tactics,’ he outlines.

‘Now we have five number 9s and four number 10s and we don’t have wingers to play attacking width, not at the highest level, of Ronaldo or Di Maria or something like that. So I have to play also in another way and you have seen that.’

‘It’s a strategy of Manchester United to buy players who are on the way up and getting better, but I only buy when I think we need to.’

Heavenly: Van Gaal says United do not possess wingers as good as Real Madrid's Angel Di Maria

Physical challenge: Blind admitted that he would prefer La Liga to England, despite Van Gaal's interest in him

He acknowledges that could include one or two from the group of players he worked with as Holland manager.

‘If they are at the level I want them to be, then I will sign Dutch players,’ he states.

‘Dutch players are usually cheaper than players of other nationalities and they have usually been very well educated in the Netherlands, I believe.

‘But they have to be of a level than can play well in the English Premier League. You have to ask yourself if that is the case with every player.’

Much has been made of Van Gaal’s success in the past with young players, something in line with the United philosophy dating back to the Busby Babes and continued by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Van Gaal won the Champions League with Ajax when Patrick Kluivert, Kanu, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf and Edwin van der Sar were emerging. At Barcelona, he gave Andres Iniesta and Xavi their big break.

Lean on me: The United boss says he will look to his assistant manager Ryan Giggs for support this season

He’d like to do the same at United and will lean on assistant-manager Ryan Giggs on who deserves a chance. But he is also keen to stress the players have to be good enough as well as young enough.

‘Ryan Giggs is my assistant manager because I always want someone on my staff who knows and understands the culture of the club,’ adds Van Gaal, whose methods have won trophies in their bucketload at Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AZ Alkmaar.

‘Ryan has mentioned some players to me and I have seen some of them play in the matches.

‘I have one rule for young players; to get in my team they have to be better than the player they are replacing.

‘It isn't tough for me to put young players into my team. When they are better, they play. It's that easy. For me, age is not important and experience is not important. It is the ability of the player that is the important thing.’

The likes of Wilfried Zaha, Jesse Lingard, Nick Powell, Will and Michael Keane, and James Wilson will wait with baited breath to see if their chance comes this season or if a loan period elsewhere is required first.

Impressed: Dutchman praises Rooney but insists physical training will carry on until first league game

The partnership of Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie is one that neither Sir Alex Ferguson nor David Moyes got to grips with properly.

Van Gaal knows Van Persie personally and with the Dutchman absent so far after a post-World Cup break, has got to see Rooney close hand. Before, Rooney has been a threat to Van Gaal’s teams, particularly in 2010 when Bayern played United in the Champions League semi-final.

‘I liked him when I was the manager of his opponent,’ said Van Gaal. ‘He is always working very hard, has a high level and can make goals. He did that in America, four goal in his first three matches is not so bad I think!

‘But we have to wait and see, we are now in the beginning of the preparation. The physical training will go on before our first league match.’

The hidden warning to Rooney could have come out of Ferguson’s mouth. The legendary United boss was occasionally irritated by the player’s fluctuating physical condition.

Good luck: Van Gaal says former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has wished him all the best ahead of season

Fergie won’t be a overbearing presence to Van Gaal as he was to Moyes. The Dutchman says he will pick the Scotsman’s brains over coffee or dinner at some stage, but their initial communication has been brief and to the point.

‘He just wished me luck and that was it. It isn’t disappointing, it is normal. I did the same when I was in the same position as him.

Ferguson was the consummate man-manager, getting good players to feel right about themselves and perform on the pitch. Moyes liked the coaching side of the game.

Van Gaal’s strength is he can do both. A natural people person who nonetheless thinks a manager can orchestrate success through tactics.