Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United have met their main target for the season by securing a top-four place, and has set his sights on silverware next term.
United will end Louis van Gaal’s first season in charge at Old Trafford trophy-less but have at least secured a return to the Champions League, improving on their seventh-placed finished last season.
And Rooney, who is in his first season as club captain, believes that the return of European football makes it a successful campaign.
“The main aim was to get back into the Champions League,” the striker told the club’s official website.
“It was very important because one year [out of the competition] was far too much for this club. So that was our main objective, to bring Champions League football back, and we’ve done that.
“Now we want to go and win the last game of the season and then next season we really want to push for silverware. We’re establishing a very good squad who I believe can go on and win silverware next year.”
Rooney believes that United’s slow start was due to the need to adapt to Van Gaal’s “tough” regime, but that the benefits were clear by the end of the campaign.
“The manager has come in and been excellent,” he said.
“It’s a different way of working to what we’re used to and I think the players have embraced that. In the first few months it was different, we found it tough, I think that probably showed in our performances.
“But since then I think everyone has seen the quality of football that we’ve been playing and I’m sure with the experience the manager has got we’ll all kick on, we’ll learn a lot and it will benefit us.”
