Club-by-club Premier League guide: Manchester United

AFTER the turbulence and disappointment of 2013-14, things seemingly can only get better next season for Manchester United.

Dismal cup exits, home defeats, a lack of transfer activity and discontent among players - it was unforgettable for entirely the wrong reasons under David Moyes's brief tenure.

But following the much anticipated arrival of Louis van Gaal, the fiery Dutchman could be the one to bring the good times back to Old Trafford.

With no European football to contend with and plenty of cash to spend, United would be much fancied to return to the Champions League and get back on the right track.

MANCHESTER UNITED:

(Nickname: The Red Devils)

(Based in: Salford, Manchester)

Manager: Louis van Gaal Assistant Manager: Ryan Giggs

Captain: To be announced Executive vice chairman: Ed Woodward

Star Player: Robin van Persie (Striker) United's player of the season (2013/14): David de Gea (Goalkeeper)

Young Player of the season (2013/14): Adnan Januzaj (Winger)

Players' Choice - Player of the season (2013/14): Wayne Rooney (Forward)

Stadium: Old Trafford Capacity: 76,011 2013/14 Average Attendance: 73,991 (This is the largest stadium in the Barclays Premier League)

Prem Lge finish (2013-14): 7th (Won 19, Drawn 7, Lost 12 - 64 points) Prem Lge goals for/against (2013/14) - 64/43

Prem Lge discipline record (2013/14) - 89 yellow cards, 5 red cards Prem Lge disciplinarian (2013/14) - Nemanja Vidic (6 yellows, 2 reds)

Prem Lge penalties for/against (2013/14) - 5/3

First three fixtures of 2014-15: Saturday 16 August vs Swansea (H), Sunday 24 August vs Sunderland (A), Saturday 30 August vs Burnley (A)

Other key fixtures: 26 October vs Chelsea (H), 2 November vs Man City (A), 22 November vs Arsenal (A), 13 December vs Liverpool (H), 28 December vs Tottenham (A), 14 March vs Tottenham (H), 8 February vs Liverpool (A), 11 April vs Man City (H), 18 April vs Chelsea (A)

Biggest league win of last season: 5 April 2014 - 4-0 win vs Newcastle (A) & 26 April 2014 - 4-0 win vs Norwich (H)

Biggest league defeat of last season: 22 September 2013 - 4-1 defeat vs Manchester City (A)

Best moment of 2013-14: Signing Juan Mata for £37.1 million from Chelsea in January

Worst moment of 2013-14: Missing out on European football for the first time in 25 years after their lowest ever Premier League finish

Out of the picture: United's 2-0 defeat at Everton signalled the end of their quest to finish in the top four last season (Picture from Getty Images)

Top Prem Lge Goalscorer 2013-14: Wayne Rooney (17 goals) Top Overall Goalscorer 2013-14: Wayne Rooney (19 goals)

Most Prem Lge assists 2013-14: Wayne Rooney (10 assists)

Best signing of the summer: Ander Herrera (£29 million from Athletic Bilbao) Key player for 2014-15: Wayne Rooney One to watch: Adnan Januzaj

Record signing: Juan Mata (£37.1 million from Chelsea, January 2014)

Most appearances in Prem Lge last season: David de Gea (37)

Capital One Cup finish: Semi-Finals (Lost 2-1 on penalties to Sunderland after 3-3 scoreline on aggregate)

FA Cup finish: Third Round (Lost 2-1 to Swansea City at Old Trafford)

Knockout blow: Swansea dumped United out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle with victory at Old Trafford (Picture from Flickr.com via Creative Commons)

Squad list: 1 David de Gea (GK), 2 Rafael da Silva (RB), 4 Phil Jones (RB/CB), 6 Jonny Evans (CB), 8 Juan Mata (RM/CAM/LM), 10 Wayne Rooney (ST/CF), 12 Chris Smalling (RB/CB), 13 Anders Lindegaard (GK), 14 Javier Hernandez (ST), 16 Michael Carrick (CM), 17 Luis Nani (RW/LW), 18 Ashley Young (LW), 19 Danny Welbeck (ST), 20 Robin van Persie (ST), 21 Angelo Henriquez (ST), 23 Tom Cleverley (CM), 24 Darren Fletcher (CDM), 25 Luis Antonio Valencia (RWB/RW), 26 Shinji Kagawa (CM/CAM), 29 Wilfried Zaha (FW), 30 Guillermo Varela (RB), 31 Marouane Fellaini (CM), 32 Nick Powell (CM/CF), 40 Ben Amos (GK), 44 Adnan Januzaj (RW/LW), Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw

Transfers In: Ander Herrera (from Athletic Bilbao, £29 million) Luke Shaw (from Southampton, £27 million)

Transfers Out: Nemanja Vidic (to Inter Milan, free transfer) Rio Ferdinand (to QPR, free transfer) Ryan Giggs (retired) Jack Barmby (to Leicester City, free transfer) Federico Macheda (to Cardiff City, free transfer) Bebe (to Benfica, £2.4 million) Patrice Evra (to Juventus, £1.2 million) Alexander Buttner (from Dynamo Moscow, £4.4 million)

On the move: England international Luke Shaw opted to join United over Chelsea this summer (Picture from Sky Sports)

Possible starting line-up: De Gea

(4-2-3-1)

Valencia Smalling Evans Shaw

Carrick Herrera

Mata Rooney Januzaj

van Persie

2014-15 Prediction: 2nd in the Premier League

The Red Devils will be looking to make amends after the disastrous campaign last time round under David Moyes. With no European football for United, the midweek can be spent resting and preparing for their league games, instead of challenging for another trophy. This will keep the players fresh and protected from potential injuries and the Red Devils can have full concentration on the league. The management of Louis van Gaal will be the main reason why Manchester United will challenge for the league title because the Dutch coach is not afraid of making big decision at important times, furthermore he demands no less than 100% effort and commitment for the team. The attacking players that United possess such as Kagawa, Herrera, Mata, Rooney and Januzaj are among the league's best and have different types of quality to succeed this season and challenge each other for the attacking spots in the side. Manchester United will finish ahead of their noisy neighbours because with Manchester City being limited with how much they can spend, the players that have been brought to the Etihad will not improve their best starting eleven and I believe that City's intentions will be to improve in the Champions League.

With additional reporting from Ewan Higgins

Last updated: 30 July 2014 22:34pm

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