After leading Manchester United to third and second in the past two seasons, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now has his sights set on the Premier League title.
Not since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013, having clinched his 13th and the club's 20th league title, have United been able to mount a sustained challenge.
But after progression year on year in his first two full campaigns as United boss, winning the title is the next challenge for Solskjaer and his players.
Solskjaer's side begin their pre-season campaign this Sunday at Derby, managed by United's all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney.
And after a slow start last season, which saw United take just seven points from their first six games, and end with a penalty shoot-out defeat in the Europa League final. Solskjaer knows his side must hit the ground running.
“We all need to start on the front foot and kick off at the right tempo because, when the season starts, we know how little can decide the season being a successful one or not so successful,” said Solskjaer.
“We’ve got to look at pre-season and start the season better than we did last season.
“We gave ourselves a mountain to climb as it was a difficult start. Hopefully, this year, we’ve cracked the gradual improvement.
“It's building and improving. Of course we need to improve on a few things.
“We’ve looked at it and evaluated it, but it’s fine margins in football. If you win a penalty shoot-out, that’s a successful season.
“If you lose it, it’s just doom and gloom. So I’m sure the players will have recharged and know we’re a team on the up, improving all the time."
United would normally be heading off on a lucrative, money-spinning tour to the US or Far East right now, but the impact of the coronavirus pandemic means an enforced domestic-based pre-season.
After Derby, United go to QPR on July 24, host newly-promoted Brentford on July 28, travel to Preston three days later, before their final pre-season game against Everton at Old Trafford on August 7.
“We’ve planned the pre-season as well as we could under the limitations we had,” said Solskjaer.
“When we had to make the plans, we had to be on the safe side.
We’ve got six weeks together before the league starts and a couple of training camps here in the UK.
“It’s the most sensible thing, we felt, being in and round here. You don’t get the, how do you say, aggravation of 'are we green, red or amber?' - it’s just the way the world works at the moment.
“We normally start with easier opposition in the first pre-season game, so we’ll be straight in.”
“I think everybody will be fresh for the new season. Last season, as we know, was a long one and a challenging one and I can’t wait for it to start.”
