Bruno Fernandes is confident Manchester United can make their mark on the Champions League next season after the club booked their return to Europe's top table.
United guaranteed themselves a top-four finish after beating Chelsea 4-1 at Old Trafford and they will go straight into the group stages whether they finish third or fourth, although a final-day win at home to Fulham will secure third.
It ends United's one-year exile from the Champions League but since Sir Alex Ferguson retired a decade ago they have rarely made an impact at the elite level in Europe.
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There have been two quarter-finals in that time, a defeat to Bayern Munich under David Moyes in 2013/14 and to Barcelona under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2018/19. The comeback against Paris St-Germain in Paris in the round of 16 that year is the high water mark in this competition in recent years.
There have been group stage exits in 2015/16 and 2020/21 and defeats in the round of 16 in 2017/18 and 2021/22, but United have the clout to threaten in Europe and Premier League clubs are starting to take a stranglehold on the competition.
An English club has been in five of the last six finals, two of which were all Premier League affairs contested by four different clubs, and Fernandes believes that if Premier League sides get it right in Europe then they can make an impact.
"I think every team that competes in the Premier League can compete in the Champions League if you do the right things," he said after scoring in the 4-1 win against Chelsea.
"Obviously, Champions League is always a different scenario because you play against the Spanish teams that play really well on the ball, you play against the Italian teams that are really strong, you play against the German teams that we all know that they are clinical.
"You always find there are some teams that we can everyone call the small ones and they surprise everyone when you go away to play against them so it's a beautiful place to be. We want to be there, we have to enjoy it and do the best we can because I think we have the qualities to play and to get a good position.
"It is probably the best European competition that you have. It's the competition that everyone dreams to play. It's a competition that's great, it's fantastic with the best clubs in the world so it's really good to be there again."
Fernandes insisted United's qualification for the Champions League was not a relief and that the belief they would achieve it never wavered during the season, despite some noticeable lows.
He described United's participation in the competition as an "obligation" and having also won the Carabao Cup, a mammoth season has gone well for Erik ten Hag and his players.
But Fernandes insists the campaign is "positive" rather than successful and that an FA Cup final triumph against Manchester City at Wembley won't define the season.
"It's a positive season, not successful because successful is different for this club and for us players it has to be too," he said.
"We did win a trophy. We get into the top four. Now we have another final but whatever happened in that final will not change anything about the season we have done. One game can't define a season that has been long with so many games."
The form at Old Trafford has been vital to United's domestic success this season. They haven't lost there in the league since the opening day of the season and are unbeaten in 29 games in all competitions.
"I think everyone has seen that it has been really important for us, not just this season, I think last season when we struggled, the fans have been always there to support us," said Fernandes.
"So we can't be now saying that this season they're there. Obviously, you feel a little bit more belief on their side, you feel more the connection, but they've always been there, they've been there.
"Since I arrived at the club I think they've been always supporting us and obviously when you get results, it's always better. When you don't, people are upset and we understand that."
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