Manchester United out of Champions League qualification race

It’s official. Manchester United will not be competing in the Champions League next season.

After Manchester United’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Burnley - thanks to an error by André Onana which led to Zeki Amdouni converting from the penalty spot, the Red Devils will not be in the premier competition in 2024/25.

Despite blowing a 2 goal lead against Chelsea, Aston Villa’s 2-2 draw against the Blues confirmed on Saturday evening that United cannot mathematically qualify for the Champions League.

There was an optimistic hope a few weeks ago that a 5th place finish could give England an extra spot in the UCL next season, but tragic exits for Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and West Ham United in European adventures all but ensured that England will not receive that extra spot. It will likely be going to the Bundesliga instead.

It is not surprising news that United will not qualify, given their miseries this season which did include an early exit in the group stages of the Champions League this campaign too. It set the precedence for a bad season under Erik Ten Hag, and there is still a chance that the Red Devils could finish as low as 8th if Chelsea can capitalise on their games in hand.

This does mean that United lose a substantial amount of revenue from competing in the competition, which is key to a summer transfer budget for Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Whilst the new figures are not known due to the restructure into the Swiss model from 2024/25, but it is expected to be a similiar or higher fee than the usual.

United missed out on £8.2million by not qualifying from the Group Stages this season alone.