Man United’s hopes of competing in the Champions League next season rest on the outcome of next Wednesday’s Europa League final.
10:55, 13 May 2025Updated 10:56, 13 May 2025
Manchester United’s hierarchy face a massive summer.(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images.)
More than just a trophy will be up for grabs when Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur go head-to-head in the Europa League final in Bilbao next Wednesday night.
As has been tradition since 2014/15, the winner of the competition will also secure qualification for next season’s Champions League, presenting them with the opportunity to rub shoulders and compete with European football’s elite.
Sitting both 16th and 17th in the Premier League table respectively, both United and Spurs will be itching to come out on top at the San Mames Stadium for the exact same reason.
While United head coach Ruben Amorim has correctly pointed out that winning the Europa League will not make all of United’s problems suddenly disappear, the prospect of having Champions League football as part of their sales pitch to prospective signings this summer cannot be underestimated.
Champions League qualification is worth around £100million, meaning securing a place back at European football’s top table could go a long way towards contributing to the speed of Amorim’s rebuild. He has also regularly acknowledged how securing Champions League qualification would be useful.
“I think it is about the budget when planning for next season,” the United boss said last month. “The Champions League can change everything.
“If you are in the Champions League, you play top teams on a Wednesday and at the weekend. This is the best thing. But we need to have the best team.”
With the outcome of the clash with Spurs deciding whether they will be in Europe or not next season, United have had to plan for two scenarios ahead of this summer.
Speaking at the unveiling of United’s new stadium plans in March, chief executive Omar Berrada said: “There’s no doubt that if we qualify to the Champions League, we will have more revenues and we’ll have more capacity to invest in the team.
Omar Berrada has outlined how Manchester United will approach the summer.(Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images.)
“But we are putting in place various financial measures to allow us to go and invest at the summer, even if we’re outside of Europe.”
United, in previous years, have developed a reputation for being reckless spenders, paying over the odds for countless players.
However, as was demonstrated in last summer’s window, United, under Ineos’ governance, are trying to improve their hit rate in the market by not getting bullied into paying inflated prices.
And that is an approach Berrada has already vowed United will follow this summer whether or not their coffers are inflated by the Champions League’s attractive financial benefits.
He said: “I can answer that question in specifics, but ultimately what we want to do is to be more efficient in our investment into the squad.
“So just because we’ll have more revenues to invest if we’re in the Champions League, it doesn’t mean we’re going to go and over-invest. We need to be cautious and we need to try to make as many good decisions as we can in recruitment.
“And also when it comes to sales, we will do it purely on the basis of whether it helps improve the team or not, not for financial reasons.”
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, United are planning to offload at least ten players this summer, meaning they plan to be busy when it comes to shipping players out. They need to express a sense of ruthlessness on that front and getting players out the door as quickly as possible will be key to Amorim’s hopes of bringing in fresh blood.