The assistant coach said it was a strangely positive feeling seeing Manchester United qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

Ryan Giggs says it was strange for Manchester United to count claiming a UEFA Champions League spot as a successful aspect of the club's season.

The United assistant said the relief at the club securing a spot in the competition — after missing out on a place in the tournament for the first time since 1995-96 — was an unfamiliar feeling.

The Old Trafford outfit made a habit of being among the continent's elite throughout Giggs' long United career, which saw him appear in the red shirt 151 times in the Champions League for 30 goals.

Giggs said he is hoping the return to Europe will stimulate the club's penchant for winning titles.

"I've enjoyed it on a personal level, but it feels a bit strange when you've been at this club for such a long time during such a successful period to be celebrating a Champions League spot," Giggs told MUTV at United's awards ceremony Tuesday.

"But, if we're honest, that's what we set out to achieve at the beginning of the season and going from seventh to getting in a Champions League place is great. But next year we want to kick on and be competing for trophies."

Giggs said United had the quality to match Premier League champion Chelsea but was lacking consistency.

"Chelsea are the best team this year without a shadow of a doubt," he said. "The pleasing thing for us has been that in the big games we've proved that we've got the quality. We just perhaps not had the consistency, that's been the difference. We've dropped silly points and to win the Premier League you can't afford to do that. Every game is a battle whether it be home or away.

"We've proved that we've got the quality, but next season we need to get that consistency and be there or thereabouts at the turn of the year. You've seen in the past that this club is a juggernaut once you get that momentum and are winning games and when we do that we're very hard to stop. So that's what we want to achieve starting from the first game next season."