May 25, (THEWILL) – Manchester United’s decade-long streak of European football hangs precariously ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City. A loss at Wembley would mark the first time since 2014 the record 20-time English champions miss out on continental competition.
Erik ten Hag’s first season at the helm has been a disappointing one, with United’s 8th place English Premier League finish their worst in 34 years. Qualifying for next season’s Europa League now rests solely on their performance in the Cup final.
“For a club like Manchester United to miss out on European football is hard to take,” former defender, Gary Pallister, told BetVictor. “For years, we haven’t missed out on Champions League football. Now, to miss out on Europe altogether would be a travesty.”
Failure to reach Europe would represent a major blow – financially, reputationally, and in United’s ability to attract top talent for a necessary rebuild. They lost to City in last year’s FA Cup final and were comfortably beaten home and away in the EPL this term.
“You need everybody firing on all cylinders – use being the underdogs to your advantage and have that spirit that you can prove people wrong,” Pallister added. Apart from their Euro ambitions, defeat would also deny Newcastle a Europa Conference League spot.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
