Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is "out of order" if he has lost focus amid transfer interest from Real Madrid, according to former Old Trafford star Paul Scholes.

Louis van Gaal has said De Gea will not feature for United until after the close of the transfer window due to concerns over his frame of mind, and has claimed the goalkeeper told one of his coaches he did not want to play on the opening day.

BT Sport pundit Scholes, who played alongside De Gea for 18 months after coming out of retirement in 2012, said the Spaniard should be representing the club.

"How can you lose focus? That's the thing for me. He is getting paid by this club -- it is a brilliant club," he said.

"They paid a lot of money on a young keeper to give him this chance. If the manager is right and says he has lost focus then, yeah, I think he is out of order. He should be in that team playing."

Despite the criticism, De Gea -- United's player of the year for the last two seasons -- played a key role in ensuring the club finished in the top four last season.

Scholes said: "If it wasn't for him last year, they probably wouldn't be in this position tonight so they have to thank him for that."

"It sets the tone for the future!" @rioferdy5 believes #MUFC have set a precedent over the future of @D_DeGea. http://t.co/wF5Zv1Jqr2 - BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) August 26, 2015

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand added: "I think it sets the tone. I think it tells players you can get out of this club easy. No, you can't. If we want you stay and you are one of our better players then you will stay here and play under our conditions. That sets the tone.

"It is disappointing to see it get to this stage. It has become a bit tit-for-tat, there is a lot going on behind the scenes. We can't explain because we don't know, but you've got to play him."