Off the back of Manchester United’s worst season in the Premier League era—and worst overall since relegation from the top flight in 1973–74—the club’s return to the Champions League for 2026–27 has been reason to celebrate, but there is still more work to be done. The Red Devils guaranteed a place in the Premier League top five with Sunday’s Old Trafford win over Liverpool. That was a 10th win in 14 matches under interim manager Michael Carrick, who has delivered on the brief handed to him when stepping into Ruben Amorim’s shoes in January. United cannot finish lower than fifth and are all but certain to place third after opening up a six-point cushion on Liverpool and Aston Villa directly below them. It is only the sixth time in the 13 seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 that United have secured Champions League qualification via the Premier League table—the club qualified on one other occasion by winning the Europa League in 2016–17 after finishing sixth domestically.…