Manchester United secured their spot in the Europa League final in Stockholm with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Spanish minnows Celta Vigo, setting up a clash with Eredivisie giants Ajax- where the Red Devils will be strong favourites.

Jose Mourinho’s side will be expected to secure the second trophy of their season, having already won the League Cup earlier this year, and the added bonus of Champions League qualification will spur the Red Devils on.

However, it’s fair to state that United have fallen short of expectations this season, with their performances over two-legs against Celta Vigo far from convincing, and Mourinho is likely to splash the cash again this summer ahead of a charge for the title.

The Portuguese boss wasted no time splashing an excess of £150m last summer, including a world-record fee to bring Paul Pogba back to the club, and United legend Rio Ferdinand believes similar numbers will be waved around this summer.

Speaking to BT Sport about what he expects United to do this summer, Ferdinand said:

“I think Jose Mourinho is still searching for his first XI, he’s still not sure of a few players. This summer will be huge for them.”

It’s clear that United’s squad is not up to scratch when compared to their title rivals and the current crop of players will certainly struggle in the Champions League next season, should Manchester United secure their spot in Europe’s elite competition.

A top-class striker will be top of their wish-list, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s injury likely cutting a premature end to his career at Old Trafford, but the most significant upgrades will need to come in defence- where United need wing-backs and a defensive partner for Eric Bailly.

New signings would instantly upgrade the team though and Mourinho definitely needs to tweak his tactics, as Manchester United have been far from convincing in front of goal this season- scoring more than two goals just once in their past 12 matches across all competitions.

Whilst a top-class striker could improve that return, United already have an abundance of talent in attack and should be performing better- so the pressure is on Mourinho to tweak his tactics and find a set-up that can excel.

The early signs of Mourinho’s reign have been positive though, as the Red Devils embarked on a 25-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and have already lifted one trophy this season, which isn’t bad for a campaign where they’re seen as having underperformed.

In the end though, it all comes down to the big trophies and neither the League Cup or the Europa League would be seen as a major success for Manchester United, although it is a big step in the right direction.