Manchester United must change Champions League approach to be taken seriously

A year ago this week Manchester United were in Chisinau. Nothing illustrates the difference between the Europa League and the Champions League than swapping Moldova for Munich.

United are back in the big time once again and a trip to the Allianz Arena to face Bayern is a heavyweight fixture in Europe's A-list competition, even if it is in a group stage where both should really progress to the knockout rounds.

It is the kind of stage on which United belong but they've not taken the curtain call often enough in recent seasons. This is only their sixth Champions League campaign in 10 seasons and before this year's competition has even started they are already fretting about their involvement next year.

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It fits a trend for the modern United. Only twice since the end of the Sir Alex Ferguson era have they made it to the Champions League in successive seasons and on one occasion they needed to win the Europa League to do that. There has been just one occasion of back-to-back top-four finishes, which somehow occurred under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

You would have backed Erik ten Hag to buck that trend but this is a club that makes a mockery of a manager's credentials. On the eve of their return to the Champions League, winning the trophy at Wembley on the first day of June might be as likely a route back in as through the Premier League.

Realistically though, that looks a difficult ask. Only one of those teams will set off on their Champions League journey tonight as major contenders and it isn't United, whose matchday squad will feature three goalkeepers on the bench, a 35-year-old released by Leicester City as