Surprise advantage, Manchester United seeks the Champions League no matter what

A few weeks is a long time in football and Manchester United are suddenly on the cusp of the Champions League places after a string of wins in the Premier League. United are undefeated in 2024, they have won three games on the bounce in the league and Rasmus Hojlund has five goals in as many games. The spring flowers will bloom soon, the lighter nights will arrive and there is genuine reason for optimism if you're a United fan.

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The first half of the season was bleak and it was a winter of discontent, but results have improved and there is hope Erik ten Hag's side can enjoy a strong end to the campaign. United are currently in sixth position in the table and it would be a shock if they finished lower than that. Newcastle, West Ham, Brighton and Chelsea are the chasing pack but those four clubs have been inconsistent this season and are unlikely to secure a finish in the top six places.

The Reds have 41 points, Aston Villa have 46 and Tottenham sit on 47. Spurs are the bookies' favourites to finish in fourth place but they face competition from United and Villa. Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are in a title race and seem guaranteed to occupy the top three positions, which leaves just one place for Champions League qualification up for grabs.

That could change, as two leagues will be rewarded with an extra Champions League place for next season, but they are going to Italy and Germany as things stand. However, there's barely anything between Italy, Germany and England on the coefficient ranking system and Spain are not far behind, which means who gets the extra places will be decided by the performance of teams from each country in the knockout rounds of the competitions.

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The real way

For example, the further teams from England progress in the Conference League, Europa League and the Champions League, the more likely an extra place in the Premier League will be. After failing to qualify for Europe last season, Tottenham are in the same boat, but Aston Villa are still in the Conference League and that's an opportunity for 'meaningful' silverware. Unai Emery's focus is not just on the league and he'll have a busier schedule to contend with, whereas United can 'treat every game like a cup final', as Ten Hag keeps reiterating. United must compete in the Champions League each season and there are consequences when they don't. There is still enough football to be played to qualify.