Champions League return gives platform for Man. Utd's rebuild
Manchester United's return to the Champions League is a significant milestone as the Red Devils seek to close the gap to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in the battle for Premier League supremacy.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men held their nerve on a final-day shootout for a place in the top four, winning 2-0 at Leicester to complete a 14-game unbeaten run in the league and end the season best of the rest in third place.
"Liverpool and City have been running away with it in the last couple of seasons so to get third is a massive achievement for the team," said Solskjaer.
A huge 33-point gap to champions Liverpool shows the strides they still have to make to become title contenders again, but since the January signing of Bruno Fernandes transformed the mood and results at Old Trafford, no team in the Premier League has won more points.
"Bringing Bruno in, in January, has made a big difference," said Harry Maguire, who cost United a world record £80 million ($103 million) for a defender at the start of the season.
"To finish third in the Premier League should be a minimum requirement from this club, but next season we have to keep improving and building."
A third-place finish...