Five hot topics for Van Gaal to tackle in Reds revolution
The MEN's United reporter Stuart Mathieson analyses the big issues waiting in the in-tray for the new manager.
Stuart Mathieson
The in-tray in Louis van Gaal's Carrington training ground office is gathering dust while Holland march on in Brazil.
The Dutch were not heavily fancied prior to the World Cup but the new United manager has constructed a formidable force that has qualified from Group B along with Chile and it will further postpone his arrival in Manchester.
Holland play Chile in Sao Paulo on Monday in a match to decide their last-16 opponents, which will take them to either Belo Horizonte on Saturday or Fortaleza on Sunday.
Whatever, Van Gaal getting down to business at Old Trafford won't happen until into next month.
So what awaits him when he closes the Holland international team manager chapter on his career and goes back to his first club football since 2011.
Here, United reporter Stuart Mathieson highlights the five areas of concern at Old Trafford.
The United armband is awaiting a new wearer following Nemanja Vidic's departure to Inter Milan at the end of the season.
If David Moyes had still been manager then we could have already anointed Wayne Rooney as the new United captain.
That's the way it was heading under the Scot. But there seems little doubt that he will be usurped by Robin van Persie.
RVP thrives with van Gaal just as he did with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.
It was a different story with Moyes and sceptics have expressed their concerns about the Dutch striker's injuries during the season.
But that is all history now and van Persie is the main man for van Gaal in Brazil. The United boss wants a leader he can trust and in RVP he has a kindred spirit. Their working relationship is rock solid.
No problem with giving his fellow countryman the captaincy then. The only fly in the ointment is how that impacts on Wayne Rooney and the furore, debate and fall-out that could all spark.
Just as Moyes had to answer Rooney questions over his future and deal with the headlines on his arrival and the worry it might distract from the job in hand last summer, so might van Gaal.
When Moyes rocked up at Carrington last year his first change was to get rid of Fergie's backroom staff of Mike Phelan, Rene Meulensteen and Eric Steele.
It caused a fan backlash when things started to go downhill during the season. Was he too hasty? Should at least one with the knowledge of the Fergie era have stayed in their post?
Had he got off to a good start the trio who got the axe might never have been mentioned again. But the Reds slide meant their names kept cropping up to haunt Moyes.
Van Gaal won't have any such problems as most of Moyes' lieutenants went with him. Steve Round and Jimmy Lumsden got the bullet with their manager. Keeper coach Chris Woods followed as the new boss installed his own men.
The interim appointment of the Class of '92 to steer United through the final four matches of the season after Moyes was sacked saw Ryan Giggs survive and be named as LVG's number two.
But nothing concrete has been announced about the future roles of Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville.
Butt is expected to survive as Under-21 coach. Scholes has been outspoken as an on-line columnist and may not have done his cause to stay as a part-time coach much good and Neville was completely in the dark when he went off to Brazil on TV duties.
United wanted to keep that rich part of their history intact and appease the fans. Van Gaal will have to decide if he can accommodate them.
Van Persie will miss 'best friend' Vidic
Worth of United targets
TRANSFERS IN
Just the one so far in 17-year-old Serbia goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic and that was pre-LVG. The 62-year-old Dutchman has handed executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward his wish-list but nothing has been forthcoming so far.
The Luke Shaw deal, for instance, has gone worryingly quiet.
Reds supporters are beginning to fear another summer of disappointment that might drag on into the new season that starts on August 16. It was bad enough 12 months ago but at least then there was comfort in the fact that Moyes was adding to the champions.
OK, that was false comfort, as it turned out, as the title holders disintegrated but the need for top-line imports this time around is even more acute than it was in 2013.
Last summer, it seemed just the midfield needed tinkering with but after such a dire campaign all departments in the United squad now need serious attention.
If it was evolution last year it has to be revolution this year but the Reds need to get a move on.
TRANSFERS OUT
There is more dead wood at Old Trafford than in a diseased forest, it seems.
So many under-achievers from last season are pocketing huge salaries. If van Gaal gets the names ticked off on his shopping list by Woodward then there are certain to be casualties.
Alex Buttner has already taken the hint and said he'll be going.
The likes of Anderson, Javier Hernandez, Antonio Valencia, Nani, Ashley Young, Tom Cleverley, Shinji Kagawa, Rafael and Marouane Fellaini are all likely to be feeling somewhat uneasy as they await van Gaal's arrival.
Ferdinand: Fergie should have signed Robben when he had the chance
Cavani refuses to rule out move
Comment: Valencia deal hints at quiet United summer
LVG favours developing academy players and producing first teamers from the junior ranks as he did at Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
With Giggs already showing the way by promoting James Wilson and Tom Lawrence at the end of the season, United's youngsters will look forward to the new era with dreams very much alive.
Jesse Lingard, Nick Powell and Wilfried Zaha will all be hoping their time on loan away from Old Trafford will be at an end and the door could be open to a United future.