Louis van Gaal First Press Conference as Manchester United Manager: Where to Watch Live and What to Expect

Louis van Gaal will hold his first press conference as Manchester United manager on Thursday.

The Dutchman officially took charge as Manchester United manager after he was welcomed by the club's chief executive Ed Woodward and assistant manager Ryan Giggs on Wednesday.

United endured a poor run in all competitions under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson's successor, David Moyes. The Scot was sacked just 10 months into his six-month contract and Van Gaal will replace the former Everton manager at Old Trafford.

Where to Watch Live

The press conference starts at 2:45pm BST. Live coverage is on United's newly launched official HD channel MUTV HD.

Transfers

Van Gaal will need to address several questions at his first press conference and one among those would be regarding the transfer business. After a disappointing last summer, the Red Devils faithful will be hopeful for signings in the ongoing window to help United become a top club in England once again.

The Red Devils have added two new faces to their squad so far in the summer transfer window. The first signing came in the form of midfielder Ander Herrera from Athletic Bilbao and England left-back Luke Shaw followed the Spaniard to Old Trafford.

After signing two players, United have gone quiet in the window so far, though strong rumours suggest that Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal is a top target for the Old Trafford club.

The Chilean international has already admitted that he is happy with the Serie A winners and will not push a transfer to United. The Italian champions saw their former manager Antonio Conte leave the club on Tuesday and was replaced by Massimiliano Allegri on Wednesday.

Juventus's chief Giuseppe Marotta has already confirmed that Vidal is not for sale. Should United fail to land Vidal, they could make an approach for Dutch international and former Manchester City midfielder Nigel De Jong.

Real Madrid winger Angel di Maria is also on United's radar, while Paris Saint-Germain are in the frame for the Argentine international's services. The Red Devils allowed Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand to leave the club on a free transfer.

Signing a central defender is another priority and Arsenal skipper Thomas Vermaelen and Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels has been linked in recent times.

Meanwhile, several players could be heading for exit in the summer transfer window. Patrice Evra signed a new one-year deal to extend his Old Trafford stay and the arrival of Shaw has seen the French international ask the club to leave this summer.

Evra could be included as a part of a Vidal swap deal, while some reports are suggesting that winger Nani could join Juventus in United's bid to sign Vidal.

Last summer signing Marouane Fellaini was a major flop in his debut season and the Belgium international could top the list of players heading for a summer exit. The former Everton midfielder could be joined by Ashley Young, midfielder Anderson, Wilfried Zaha, Bebe, Tom Cleverley and Nick Powell.

Captaincy

After Vidic's departure, Evra was the second best choice to wear the arm band. However, his future at the club remains uncertain and even if he continues with his current employers, it is unlikely that he will get regular playing time next season.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has already worked with Robin van Persie with the Netherlands side in the recently concluded World Cup. The former Arsenal striker was the skipper of his national side and recent rumours suggest that Van Gaal could hand the captaincy to the 30-year-old.

Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney is reported to be the interested in leading United next season as the club starts a new era under Van Gaal's guidance.

Pre-Season Tour

After taking a break of two days post the World Cup commitments with the Netherlands, Van Gaal has started his job at United. The Dutchman will start his first game as United manager in a pre-season friendly against LA Galaxy on 23 July, followed by fixtures against AS Roma, Inter Milan and Real Madrid during their US tour.