Why United cannot afford for season to be cancelled...
THERE are other clubs with far more invested in a decision to conclude the 2019/20 season than United, but the decisions the game’s chiefs come to over the next few weeks could still have a long-term effect at Old Trafford.
Liverpool see a 30-year wait for a title on the line due to the coronavirus outbreak that has halted football across Europe.
Half-a-dozen clubs see a route to Premier League survival without the hard work, while Leeds and West Brom fear being denied promotion.
Keep going down the leagues and there are plenty of clubs who will be monitoring developments closely.
Of course those concerns are all secondary at the moment, people are focused on their own safety and of the safety of their loved ones. But at some point football will resume and how it does so will have an impact on plenty of clubs.
Voiding the campaign would, presumably, leave United staring at another season in the Europa League, a third in five seasons.
The longer a club is denied access to Europe’s top table, the harder they find it to make a reservation for the next campaign.
If the season is played to a conclusion United aren’t guaranteed a Champions League return, but the cards were beginning to fall in their favour.
On the back of an 11-game unbeaten run they are the form team in the top four race and have secured a Europa League quarterfinal spot thanks to the 5-0 win against LASK Linz in Austria last week.
Finishing fourth or winning the Europa League would secure Champions League football next season.
That could be a game-changer when it comes to United’s transfer window business, whenever the transfer window is ahead of next season.
It is far easier to attract bigname players with the carrot of Champions League football than it is to have them buy into a project
It is far easier to attract big-name players with the carrot of Champions League football