Manchester United are currently 13th in the Premier League table, leaving their options for qualifying for European football severely limited.
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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: Ruben Amorim the manager of Manchester United looks on prior to the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester United and Real Sociedad de Futbol at Old Trafford on March 13, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Ruben Amorim's men still have a slim chance of qualifying for European football next season
(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse, Getty Images)
Manchester United's season has been one to forget for supporters, but there still remains a chance they could qualify for Europe next season. Despite their recent good run, which continued after the 3-0 success over Leicester City on Sunday, the Red Devils find themselves in 13th in the Premier League.
One of the few bright spots of the season has been Ruben Amorim's team in the Europa League. Their 4-1 success (5-2 on aggregate) over Real Sociedad booked a quarter-final clash against Lyon next month.
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For as long as time itself, Manchester United have graced Europe's biggest stages, and it looks likely they will have a season away from the big time. However, there are still a couple of ways they can qualify, even if one of them would require an extraordinary set of circumstances.
The most straightforward route is by winning the Europa League. United must first defeat Lyon over two legs next month - April 10 and 17, both home and away.
Should they progress through the semi-final, they could be pitted against Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the final in Bilbao on May 21. Winning these five matches would not only secure a trophy but also guarantee a place in next season's Champions League as a lucrative bonus.
In terms of qualifying through the Premier League, Manchester United have a mountain to climb. They are seven points away from the top half with nine games left and 27 points up for grabs.
However, the Premier League has outlined an admittedly unlikely scenario where the team finishing 11th this season could play in Europe next year. For this to happen, several events must align.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester City must all qualify for the Champions League as the top four teams. Then, Newcastle must qualify for the Champions League in fifth place, due to UEFA potentially awarding an extra spot to English clubs based on their performance in Europe this season.
In this hypothetical scenario, Brighton would secure a Europa League spot by finishing sixth, and Bournemouth, despite finishing seventh, would also qualify for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup. Chelsea, currently in fourth place, would need to drop to eighth while simultaneously qualifying for the Europa League by winning the Conference League.
Bruno Fernades
Bruno Fernades has been a shining light in a disappointing season for Manchester United
Aston Villa, finishing ninth, would then have to qualify for the Champions League by winning that competition. Either Manchester United or Spurs would need to finish 10th and qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League.
This extraordinary sequence of events would mean that Newcastle's Conference League place, earned by winning the Carabao Cup on Sunday, could not be allocated to any of the top 10 teams as they would all have qualified for another European competition. The spot would therefore go to the team in the next highest Premier League position - 11th.
Currently, Brentford holds that position with 41 points, followed by Crystal Palace two points behind, United another two points back, and Spurs trailing the Bees by seven points. It's the Europa League or bust for Ruben Amorim's Manchester United.