 United finished seventh in the Premier League last season so did not participate in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 1995–96 campaign and were not in any European competition for the first time in 25 years.Louis van Gaal was announced as the new manager on 19 May 2014 after the sacking of David Moyes in April.He appointed Ryan Giggs, who retired from playing, as assistant manager, Marcel Bout as assistant coach, specialising in oppositional scouting, and Frans Hoek as goalkeeping coach.