MANCHESTER (AFP) - Louis van Gaal will get his first taste of Old Trafford as Manchester United boss when the English giants face Spain's Valencia in a pre-season friendly on August 12, the club announced.

The game, with Ryan Giggs in the dugout for the first time as assistant manager, is also likely to see new signings Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw play in front of the Old Trafford crowd for the first time.

Before that, United will play four matches in the United States - on July 23 in Los Angeles against LA Galaxy, three days later in Denver against Roma, on July 29 in Washington against Inter Milan before a trip to Ann Arbour on August 2 to tackle Real Madrid.

Giggs said he had been in contact with van Gaal even during the World Cup where the Dutch national team's World Cup campaign ended in semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday.

"I flew out and spent a couple of hours with him. We went through players who were at the club - ones who may be going, ones who may be coming in," said Giggs.

"I was there to find out how he works, what he likes and give him an insight into anything he might not know about Manchester United. He knew a lot, as you might expect. But any little thing I could help him about I tried to. We didn't dwell on what happened last season." Giggs added: "He's not scared about the challenge, he's not apprehensive - he can't wait. He has the experience to do it. It won't be easy. It never is.

"The Premier League's a tough league to win but that's what we'll try to do. I was excited about how forthright and how clear he was about what he expects from the staff and the players."