Van Gaal to face Valencia in first home game for United

(Reuters) - Louis van Gaal will make his Old Trafford debut as Manchester United manager in a friendly with Valencia on August 12, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

Netherlands coach Van Gaal will take over his United duties after his Dutch side meet Brazil in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday.

United's assistant manager Ryan Giggs said he had kept in contact with Van Gaal and that, alongside new assistant coaches Albert Stuivenberg and Marcel Bout, the club's preparations for the new English season were unaffected by Van Gaal's absence.

"Albert and Marcel know how Louis works so the blueprint has been prepared by him and we're just following his plans," Giggs told United's website.

"He'll arrive here some time between the start and middle of next week.

"Of course, it's not ideal - you want all your players and your manager together to start pre-season. But in a World Cup year it can be like this, and I have to say preparations have gone well so far.

"Within a week we'll all be together and then we're spending two-and-a-half weeks in the United States so he'll get to know the players there. There's plenty of time before the season starts."

Van Gaal's first game in charge of United will be against Los Angeles Galaxy in Pasadena, California, on July 23, as United open their pre-season tour of the United States.

The Netherlands were knocked out of the World Cup in a penalty shootout defeat to Argentina on Wednesday.

(Writing by Stephen Wood, editing by Tony Goodson)