'Players know the size and potential of this club'

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has declared that top-quality players will always be compelled to join the club, regardless of what European competition the team will be playing in next season.

The Reds head into our final two Premier League fixtures of 2018/19 with only an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League ahead of Solskjaer's first full season in charge, but the Norwegian is not overly concerned that it will affect any transfer dealings this summer.

“In the long-term planning, we have to think about [the fact that] we might be in the Champions League next year, because we've got a chance, [or] we might not be [in it],” reflected the boss. He then revealed: “You would be surprised how many agents have been touting their players.

”Not touting – that's not the best word, is it? It's just like telling us that their players, their clients, would love to be a part of Man United in the future.

The last time United failed to make the Champions League, in 2015/16, the club made four signings in the summer window that followed: Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba.

Solskjaer is confident that players of high calibre can be captured again, ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

“That's just the lure of Man United, because they [prospective signings] know the potential here, the size of the club, and that we will, in the end, get back to good days,” he continued.

“Yeah, we're having a tough time at the moment, we've had a few seasons when we've not gone up to the standards we expect. But that's up to me, and up to the club, that we change it as quickly as possible.

”If it's a season without the Champions League, who knows? But players still want to come to Man United, which you wouldn't be surprised about, but you would be surprised, about the names you get asked [about].

“You're all writing about players that we should sign. Hopefully, we can get players in that you haven't written about as well, so you never know.”

United are three points off the top four ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture at Huddersfield Town. Chelsea and Arsenal, who presently lead the Reds in the race for fourth position, are both at home, to Watford and Brighton, respectively.