When they play Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday, Manchester United will conclude their Premier League campaign.
With a 4-1 victory over Chelsea on Thursday night, United secured their spot in the Champions League for the next season. Newcastle United, Arsenal, and Manchester City complete the top four.
Erik ten Hag had a fruitful debut campaign at United. United has won a trophy in the form of the Carabao Cup and can complete a double when they play City at Wembley for the FA Cup next month. They have also qualified for the Champions League and are back in Europe's top club competition.
When United plays the Cottagers at Old Trafford, the top-flight campaign comes to an end before the Wembley showpiece. It is unknown if Ten Hag will rearrange his lineup and rest important players for the FA Cup final.
United knows that if they defeat Fulham, they will stay in third place regardless of how Newcastle performs against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Ten Hag's team has a chance to finish third even if they lose as long as they perform on par with or better than the Magpies.
And should they succeed in doing so, United would confirm an increase in funding. The higher up the table a Premier League side finishes, the more money they receive as a prize.
United may anticipate earning an extra £2.2 million if it finishes third rather than fourth. Despite being a minor sum in comparison to the amount of money spent in the Premier League, it will be a welcome addition to the United coffers before the transfer window.
Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, according to Fulham manager Marco Silva, have been Manchester United's best players this season.
Fernandes has served as captain for the majority of the season because Harry Maguire has only made seven league starts, while the prolific Rashford has been the team's leading goal scorer by a significant margin.
In the stunning 4-1 victory over Chelsea earlier in the week, Rashford scored his 30th goal of the season, making him the first United player to achieve that milestone since Robin van Persie in 2012/13.
Both players have been crucial for United this season, and Silva singled out the two as "key" before his team's meeting at Old Trafford on the final day of the Premier League season.
"This will not be the last game, they are going to play another final," Silva said during his press conference on Friday afternoon.
"They already played one final and they are going to play another one and, of course, for a club like Man United it is really important that they are fighting for some titles."
"They changed some things [this season], they signed good players as well. Some players have been the key for them the last few seasons, like [Marcus] Rashford, like Bruno [Fernandes], all these players."
"They signed two or three players that made a huge impact in their squad as well. You know that you are going to play against a very good side. I think they've been showing this season that they’re a massive club."
"[Against Chelsea] they showed again their quality. The individual quality they have, in my opinion, is clearly in the best teams in this league, because if you look for their individuals they are really a top, top, top level."
“They have players in the attack line and midfield line who can decide the game in one second if you switch off. And, of course, all those things demand from us to be top in all the moments of the game.”
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