Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole is confident his old club will be challenging for the Premier League again in the next few seasons.
The Red Devils have lifted the title a record 20 times in their illustrious history but have not been crowned champions since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Since then David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have tried and failed to secure the title, with a second-place finish under Mourinho in 2018 their best performance to date.
The club were way off the title pace this season before the Premier League was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, sitting 37 points behind runaway leaders Liverpool in fifth.
However, there were signs of progress under current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, particularly since the turn of the year.
They were unbeaten in 11 games prior to the shutdown in March, a run that included a 2-0 Premier League victory over champions Manchester City at Old Trafford as well as progression through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and last 16 of the Europa League.
Cole won five titles in six seasons at Old Trafford and was part of the famous treble-winning side of 1999, so he knows all about the level of expectation at the club.
The former England international, who played alongside Solskjaer at United, has been impressed with the impact his former team-mate is having on the squad and is confident they will be back challenging for titles once again sooner rather than later.
"There is definite progress being made, it is all about making small steps,” Cole told Sky Sports.
"When you are talking about challenging for the league in the next few years, I would genuinely like to believe so.
"It has taken Liverpool 30 years to get themselves in this position - I never want to see Man Utd in that position, taking 30 years to possibly win the Premier League again.
"Man Utd will get there - with the better players that they keep and the better players they bring in - come possibly next season or the season after that."