The effects of Manchester United failing to win the Europa League final will be felt throughout the summer and next season.
While there is still one Premier League game to get through this weekend, Manchester United’s season came to a crushing end on Wednesday night.
Ruben Amorim cut a saddened figure on the sideline when the final whistle went, knowing the challenge of restoring the club to its glory days just got harder.
By failing to win, United miss out on the massive cash pot which Champions League qualification would have secured, making a summer rebuild easier.
In addition, due to the financial peril around United right now, the transfer budget has been slashed, making sales even more vital.
Alejandro Garnacho already has one foot out the door at United, with Atletico Madrid and Chelsea among those keen on the £50m move. Meanwhile, Rasmus Hojlund is also searching for his own exit from United.
But there are reasons to be positive we can take, when comparing with the last time United failed to play in Europe under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
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When did Manchester United last fail to qualify for Europe under Sir Alex Ferguson
With no Europe, Amorim will have a season to work with his team in training, which is exactly what he wanted. Even before the final, he admitted it may be more beneficial not to qualify for Europe.
Sir Alex certainly benefited from it, the last time he failed to get European football at United was the 1989/90 season, which kick-started an incredible period in the history of the club.
Following this, Sir Alex won the FA Cup with United the season after failing to get Europe, while the Cup Winners’ Cup came a season later.
The next season, 1992/93, saw United win the Premier League crown, which then inspired the club to win 12 more, along with two Champions Leagues over the coming 20 years with an unprecedented tally of trophies.
13 Premier Leagues
Four League Cups
Five FA Cups
Two Champions Leagues
One Cup winners’ cup
One European Super Cup
Two Club World Cups
So, having no European football certainly had a positive impact on Sir Alex’s United, allowing him to build for the future and get more time to get the team straight.
However, there are also bad examples.
Manchester United also failed to qualify for Europe in the 2013/14 season
While Sir Alex used it as the beginning of a dynasty, following his retirement appointment of David Moyes saw United fail to qualify for Europe in the 2013/14 season.
Louis van Gaal then took charge and took United back to the Champions League, but this was the first of many false dawns at the club over the past decade.
Amorim will be desperate to use the season without Europe in a manner closer to Sir Alex than the Dutchman, and it could actually be exactly what the club needs.
With no Europe, there can be a huge clear out with no need to have a 26-player squad for just one game a week. So hopefully this is what it takes for Amorim to build something long term and sustainable.