Louis van Gaal starts Manchester United's pre-season tour with trip to the beach



Van Gaal and his players took stroll on Santa Monica beach

United will train at LA Galaxy's Stubhub Centre on Saturday



United's first pre-season game will be against LA Galaxy on Wednesday

Van Gaal named 25-man squad for pre-season tour



Louis van Gaal and his Manchester United players took in the sights of Santa Monica beach as they arrived in Los Angeles for their pre-season tour.

The Dutchman and his 25-strong touring party touched down at LA International airport on Friday night and then headed straight for the beach.

United's players looked relaxed in full club suits as they leisurely strolled down by the sea front. They then headed to the Beverly Hills hotel where they will spend the next six nights.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Louis van Gaal and the Man United boys touch down in USA

Beach boys: Manchester United's players took a stroll on Santa Monica beach in Los Angeles

Wind in their hair: Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs (right) lead the Manchester United players on their walk

Relaxed: Manchester United's players are in Los Angeles ahead of their pre-season tour of America Settling in: Luke Shaw looks at ease with his new United team-mates after moving from Southampton Sights and sounds: David de Gea and Juan Mata take in the picturesque scenery as they stroll Deep in thought: Wilfried Zaha, whose future at United is uncertain, looks to have a lot on his mind

Touching down: Manchester United's players step off the plane in LAX airport

All smiles: New Manchester United manager shares a joke with frontman Wayne Rooney at the airport Pre-season tour: Van Gaal arrived at Manchester airport on Friday afternoon with his new Red Devils squad

New boys: New signings Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw will both play for United in America



Team effort: Juan Mata takes a selfie with David De Gea, Ander Herrera and Rafael

High flying: Manchester United posted a picture of their chartered plane while players took time for another photo opportunity on board



Infrequent flier: Ander Herrera signs autographs ahead of his first trip outside Europe

United play LA Galaxy on Wednesday before heading to Denver, Washington DC and Detroit during their pre-season tour.

Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher and Juan Mata all signed autographs for some of the 100-plus fans who had gathered to greet them.

Van Gaal and his squad will train at the Stubhub Center, home of the Galaxy, on Saturday.

Youth-team products Sam Johnstone, Tyler Blackett, Michael Keane, Reece James, Jesse Lingard and Will Keane are part of the touring party, but there was no room for James Wilson and Tom Lawrence, who made their first-term debuts at the end of last season.

United had announced earlier this month that stars such as Wayne Rooney, David de Gea and Mata would travel to the US along with new signings Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera.

Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez, Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj are still on holiday after the World Cup.

Michael Carrick is a notable absentee after undergoing ankle surgery on Thursday morning that could rule him out for the first two months of the season.

In his first press conference on Thursday, Van Gaal said he would spend the next three or four weeks assessing the players he has at his disposal before deciding on potential new signings and departures.

MANCHESTER UNITED'S US TOUR 2014 ITINERARY

The Red Devils will play four matches in the US beginning with David Beckham's former club.

Chevrolet Cup

LA Galaxy in Los Angeles, 23rd July

International Champions Cup

AS Roma in Denver, 26 July Inter Milan in Washington DC, 29 July Real Madrid in Ann Arbor, 2 August

Besties: Ashley Young takes new boy Ander Herrera under his wing in Manchester airport



Injured: Anderson, pictured arriving at training with Bebe, is missing the trip with a calf injury Sidelined: Michael Carrick has been ruled out for a 'long time' after suffering an ankle injury in training