Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has stressed the importance of good preparation for the new Premier League season, which begins a week earlier this season on August 8.

The Dutchman has scrapped plans for pre-season friendlies in the week before United's opening league fixture against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal believes that suffering a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City on the first day of the 2014-15 campaign was down to poor preparation.

"I asked the board for us not to play the week before our first Premier League match," Van Gaal told MUTV.

"Last year we played against Valencia a few days before we had to play Swansea City and that was too much. Therefore they have permitted that we don't play one week before the first game as that [first] match is very important. We want to win it this time and I hope we can start very well."

United finished fourth last season.