Manchester United executive manager Ed Woodward says the club will back their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the transfer market this summer and he believes the window will be an "important opportunity" for the Red Devils. 

Seventh-place United sit 38 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and are six points off the pace in the race for the Champions League places.

The 20-time English League winners splashed over €65-million on Portuguese attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes last month but Woodward admits they'll need to recruit strongly this summer:

"The signing of Bruno Fernandes and return of key players from injury will be a boost to Ole and the squad as we head into the second half of the season," he told a United fan forum.

"We remain in contention in the Europa League and the FA Cup, as well as for Champions League qualification, so there is still lots to play for.

"However, as a club and a board, we do recognise that we are not yet where we want to be.

"It is the overwhelming priority of everyone at the club to get us back to regularly challenging for Premier League and Champions League titles.

"Although progress may not always be smooth, everyone across the club is focused and committed on playing their part in helping achieve those aims.

"Similarly, there has been extensive work on our recruitment process, with considerable investment in scouting, data, and analytics.

"The recruitment department is working to a clear plan and philosophy, along with Ole and his coaching staff.

"Our focus is on bringing in a combination of experience and the best young players with the potential to develop further, fusing graduates from our academy with high-quality acquisitions.

"Our recruitment process focuses on analysis and selection of players over the course of a season, with a view to the following summer transfer window.

"As part of the rebuild we see this coming summer as an important opportunity."