Right from the moment he breezed through the doors at Old Trafford , Louis van Gaal was a man with a plan . The first season , he stated , would see him deliver Manchester United back into their rightful place in the Champions League . He would restore them to the Premier League top four but loftier aims of silverware would have to wait . His three-year vision would allow for such thoughts but , first things first , United needed to be dining from European football 's top table again . Louis van Gaal is close to delivering his first-season aim of returning Man United into Champions League . Wayne Rooney smashes home during Manchester United 's 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday . United 's win over Aston Villa took them third , eight points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool in the table . April 12 Manchester City ( H ) April 18 Chelsea ( A ) April 26 Everton ( A ) May 2 West Bromwich Albion ( H ) May 9 Crystal Palace ( A ) May 17 Arsenal ( H ) May 24 Hull City ( A ) One season out of the Champions League was far from ideal , but two seasons would be an absolute disaster and something , he understood , that would not be tolerated . In November , even that was looking optimistic . A 1-0 defeat to Manchester City meant that United had taken just 13 points from their opening 10 matches - it was their worst start to a league campaign since 1986 , when Ron Atkinson only lasted until November . They had also been humiliated in the Capital One Cup by League One side MK Dons . Once again , with a more than a hint of desperation , Van Gaal reminded everyone after the derby defeat that this was a long-term project . 'It 's not good enough , ' he said . 'But on the other hand , we are in a process , as I have said from the beginning . The process shall take more than one year , it shall take three years . ' Suddenly , it seemed like Van Gaal was shifting the goalposts . Instead of finishing top four in his first season , was he now suggesting that United might only be worthy of those positions by year three ? That did n't sound good . It took some time for United to hit their stride under Van Gaal but things have finally come together . United were again at their best in Saturday 's 3-1 home win over Aston Villa , which took them third . United celebrate their title triumph in 2013 - Van Gaal 's aim is to return such success to Old Trafford . But Van Gaal has been true to his word . Barring a catastrophic late collapse in form , United will be gracing the Champions League again next season . With an eight-point cushion established over Liverpool in fifth , United 's faithful can look forward to those electric European nights against next season . Their failure to qualify for the continent 's premier club competition this year is a mere blip , rather than a symbol of sustained decline . With matches against Chelsea , Arsenal and Manchester City still to come , there is even far-fetched talk of United winning the title . Now that really would be an acceleration of the Van Gaal masterplan . That wo n't happen but there 's no reason why United ca n't finish second or third , avoiding the necessity of a potentially tricky Champions League qualifier in August . United are on course , the plan is on track and Van Gaal can be satisfied . There are growing signs too that Van Gaal 's team are looking like the Manchester United of old . Ander Herrera scored twice in Manchester United 's 3-1 win over Aston Villa at the weekend . Juan Mata , who scored twice in the 2-1 win over Liverpool , has been excellent under Van Gaal . Angel di Maria ( right ) has been mainly playing from the bench during United 's recent good run of form . Radamel Falcao ( right ) has also had to be content with a place on the bench . The 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Saturday was another indication that United are now a settled side . The fluent , possession-based football and the waves of attack that were hallmarks of the Alex Ferguson era are slowly beginning to return . Van Gaal , after trying what seems like a million combinations , has found the shape and system that best makes use of the resources at his disposal . It seems to exclude Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao - combined value £103.5m - but while the money men wo n't be happy , everyone else is . Now that United have manoeuvred themselves into a strong position in the top four , Van Gaal can regard his first season in English football as a job well done . But year two demands further improvement . United must mount a sustained challenge for the Premier League title and reach the later stages of the Champions League . Those are the expectations . Now we wait and see if Van Gaal can deliver .
Man United have an four-point cushion from fifth-place Liverpool . Van Gaal looks likely to deliver on his promise of top eight finish . But the Dutchman has a three-year vision mapped out . Next season will have to see United mount sustained challenge for title . They must also reach the later stages of the Champions League .