Pallister: United Proved Doubters Wrong

Manchester United legend Gary Pallister believes his former club defied a lot of doubters last season and feels rivals will be jealous of the campaign Jose Mourinho's men ultimately enjoyed.

The Reds won the Community Shield, EFL Cup and UEFA Europa League and will compete in the Champions League next season, after securing an automatic place in the group stages with the triumph over Ajax in Stockholm.

Pallister was in Sweden to witness the final victory and believes everybody at the club has been lifted by regaining entry to the continent's premier competition in 2017/18.

"That was a massive plus from the season," the ex-Reds star told ManUtd.com. "Obviously winning three trophies was fantastic in itself but the carrot for everybody at the end of the season was getting back into the Champions League. It means so much to the club, not just financially but for the fans and players who want to be involved in the biggest competition in the world.

"It was hugely important we got there and we did it in great style out in Stockholm. The win over Ajax stopped a lot of these doubters out there who were saying it was a poor season because United finished sixth. Okay, we didn't qualify for the Champions League through our Premier League position but we qualified by winning a European trophy and we also won the League Cup, not to mention the Community Shield. All in all, quite a few teams will be jealous of Manchester United's season."

As a former centre-back, Pallister feels Mourinho always organises his defence correctly and believes there are a number of options open to the boss, with this month's addition of Victor Lindelof further strengthening the ranks.

"The great thing is, towards the end of the season, we got Chris Smalling fit and Phil Jones fit, so the manager had plenty of choices," he added. "Considering the injuries we had, we were really good as a team at being able to defend.

"Jose has always had his teams that know how to defend properly and it's great that we've got that but we have also got the ability to score goals as well, although maybe not as many as we'd like at Old Trafford last season. That was due to ourselves not finishing as well as we should have done but also due to opposition goalkeepers coming in and pulling off some absolutely blinding saves. However, I think that is an area the team will look to address next season."

Pallister, who left United as a player in the summer of 1998 and retired at Middlesbrough in 2001, is disappointed he can't grace Old Trafford again when the Legends host Barcelona in September. He's also unavailable for the first meeting at the Nou Camp on 30 June.

"I would love to play but unfortunately my back, which plagued me towards the end of my career, is still giving me a bit of gyp," the 51-year-old revealed. "Robbo [Bryan Robson] keeps trying to get me to come out of retirement but I'm afraid that's impossible at this moment in time."