Manchester United are back in the Champions League after a year's absence.

United failed to qualify for last season's addition but in lieu of playing in the premium European club competition, Jose Mourinho's men won the Europa League.

They will face Basel, Benfica and CSKA Moscow as they attempt to get out their group.

And Mourinho has selected a 24-man crack team to do just that.

What's that you say, why is it not a 25-man squad like they are allowed to select?

Mourinho has been counting up his players (
Image:
Man Utd/Getty)
Jose Mourinho kisses the Europa League prize (
Image:
Getty)

Well, according to the UEFA rules:

"A maximum of 25 players, two of whom must be goalkeepers. There are a minimum of eight places reserved exclusively for 'locally trained players'. If a club have fewer than eight locally trained players in their squad, then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly."

So basically because United have less than eight "locally trained players" in their A List, they have been docked a place.

It doesn't appear to have cost them too much, as Mourinho will still be able to call on injured duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and James Wilson.

United lift the Europa League last season (
Image:
Getty)
Ibrahimovic has been included... (
Image:
Manchester United)
...but Luke Shaw has not (
Image:
Man Utd via Getty Images)

The only senior start to miss out is Luke Shaw - who still doesn't have a return date for his ankle layoff.

Manchester United's squad in full

David De Gea, Sergio Romero; Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling, Daley Blind, Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian; Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Michael Carrick, Ashley Young, Ander Herrera, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marouane Fellaini, Nemanja Matic; Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Anthony Martial, James Wilson.