Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown has insisted that their Europa League success could salvage their season and put the foundations in place for next year. United are on course to record their worst-ever Premier League finish with Ruben Amorim's men currently sat 14th. However, despite their disastrous league campaign, they could still qualify for the Champions League . Lifting the Europa League could earn them a spot in next season's Champions League and they will take a massive step towards that with victory in this evening's semi-final first-leg against Athletic Bilbao. According to Brown, who played a key part in the successful era under Sir Alex Ferguson , winning the competition could not only rescue their current season, but also create a foundation for Amorim to build upon next season. "It has been a tough season, especially in the Premier League," he said. "It has not been up to standard and it's not just the fans who understand that, I'm sure the players and the manager do as well. "Luckily, we've still got a little lifeline in the Europa League. It's a do-or-die situation. We could potentially win that and then, it's not that everything's forgotten because everything has to be improved, but it's a base for next season that can really push you on." Success in the Europa League is also expected to be key in Amorim's planned overhaul of the playing squad in the summer. United are expected to oversee their biggest transfer windows in recent history with a number of positions requiring new signings. "It's more likely that he'll try to get as many players as he can in the summer," Brown added. "Players will leave as well. But I do think it will take a while. Regardless of systems, we've been making too many mistakes in games. "We've not been a team at times, we've depended on individuals to pull us out of the trenches and that's where we need to get better, just purely team performances." Wes Brown was speaking at the Worldwide Hospitality Group Golf Day, in aid of the North-West Air Ambulance Charity. Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .