On The Ball | Manchester United can ill afford to miss out on Champions League if they want progress next season
- Man United will lose out financially if they go a second consecutive season without Champions League football next term
- A draw against Leicester City on the final day of the season will be enough to secure qualification
United’s kit manufacturer Adidas holds a clause in its contract where it would pay 30 per cent less than its £75 million annual fee should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team fail to qualify for the Champions League two years in succession. No other sponsors have such a clause, though Chevrolet, the main shirt sponsor, does have one should United be relegated from the Premier League.
United aren’t in poor financial shape and are far better positioned than Barcelona – the one club in the world with a higher wage bill – but Champions League qualification makes a significant difference.
A draw at Leicester City on Sunday will be enough, Leicester being the club who’d likely lose out if it’s only a draw. Fans are nervous, but no United Premier League season has ended with such excitement since 2013.
United have wobbled in the last two weeks with two draws, a cup defeat and a win, but Leicester have wobbled more – they were 15 points clear of United in February. Implausibly, since they have their lowest points total of any Premier League season so far (62 vs 63 under David Moyes), United are now third and in the top four for the first time since beating Leicester in September, with Chelsea fourth. United’s defensive stats are comparable with the two teams well above them, but it will all count for little with another fifth-place finish.
There would be another chance: if Leicester win and United slip back out of the top four on Sunday, United can qualify via the Europa League, as they did in 2017 under Jose Mourinho.
