By winning the Europa League last year, while finishing sixth domestically, Manchester United ensured that five English clubs would enter this year’s UEFA Champions League. United joined last season’s top four, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool, in Europe’s premier club competition.

After three rounds of fixtures, all five of the English clubs sit atop their groups. They’ve played a combined 15 games, winning 11 of them, with a goal difference of +33 and zero defeats.

This is the first time all English clubs are unbeaten after three rounds of fixtures since the 2008/09 season. Three of them -- Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal -- made the final four that season, with all four (Liverpool) making the quarters.

These 15 matches have included two away trips to Madrid, with Spurs bagging a 1-1 draw at European Champions Real Madrid this week, while Chelsea ending Atletico’s 11-match unbeaten home run in the previous match day.

Meanwhile, the two Manchester clubs join Paris Saint Germaine and Barcelona as the only clubs with three wins out of three thus far this season. And Liverpool’s 0-7 win at Maribor is the biggest ever away win for an English club in the Champions League, or the European Cup as the tournament was called earlier.

Of course, none of this means that the English clubs have become Champions League contenders again, as they were a decade ago that saw three champions -- Liverpool (2005), Manchester United (2008), Chelsea (2012) -- and five runners-up -- Arsenal (2006), Liverpool (2007), Chelsea (2008), Manchester United (2009), Manchester United (2011) -- between 2004-2012.

Since Chelsea’s 2012 win, only two English clubs -- Chelsea (2014) and Manchester City (2016) -- have made the semifinals of the Champions League.

In the past five seasons, England have only had four representatives in the Champions League quarter-finals, compared to a cumulative 15 from Spain, nine from Germany and six from France.

Even so, it is still too soon to call it a turnaround given that we’re only three rounds in the group stage and hence none of the sides has confirmed its passage into the Round of 16.

However, with all five at the top of their groups -- City, United and Chelsea clear at the summit with Spurs and Liverpool joint top -- there are palpable signs of progress among the English clubs.

City, United and Chelsea practically need one more win out of three to not only qualify for the knockout stage, but also almost ascertain their position at the top of the group. Spurs look good to qualify ahead of Borussia Dortmund and APOEL, and might even have a go at Real Madrid at home after looking good in their 1-1 draw at the Bernabeau.

Liverpool are the only side in a veritable tussle for qualification, with a three-way fight against Spartak Moscow and Sevilla. But the record-breaking win at Maribor after draws against the other two sides, would give them confidence to squeeze into the Round of 16.

The seeming resurgence of the English sides stems from the managers at the helm -- with Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp, there’s proven Champions League experience. Guardiola and Mourinho are two of the five active managers to have won the Champions League or European Cup at least twice -- Carlo Ancelloti, who was sacked by Bayern Munich last month, has three.

Similarly, Mauricio Pochettino has brought his Spanish experience to Spurs’ continental play, and is also ensuring that the side leaves its own identity in Europe -- just like they’re doing in the Premier League -- and not follow any blueprints set by other managers. This was perfectly demonstrated in his selection away to Real this week, where he played to up front -- Fernando Llorente partnering Harry Kane -- while many others would’ve opted to stuff up the midfield and/or ‘park the bus’.

While the 3-3 draw at home against AS Roma mightn’t have been the result Chelsea would’ve wanted -- especially after being 2-0 up -- Conte would be confident of getting the result in Rome. Whether they’d be happy with a draw would depend on the other group result as well, with a potential win for Atletico bringing the gap between the top three sides down to three points -- in case of a draw in Rome -- with the Spanish side playing both Chelsea and Roma in the final two fixtures.

However, just like the domestic front, the English sides looking the likeliest to go deep are the two Manchester clubs. It is hard to see them not topping their groups, despite Shakhtar Dontesk and FC Basel being three points behind City and United respectively.

With Guardiola eyeing his first Champions League trophy outside of Barcelona, and Mourinho looking to become the first manager ever to win the European Cup/Champions League with three different clubs, there is clearly no shortage of incentive for either manager.

And so, while Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Bayern Munich and Juventus, are still some distance away from City and United, expect both Guadiola and Mourinho -- with so much history between them -- to ensure that their sides are the vanguards of any English resurgence in Europe this season, all the while competing for silverware in England.