Manchester United must overcome two looming hurdles to achieve what Sir Jim Ratcliffe demands

Sir Jim Ratcliffe didn't mince his words when he sat down with journalists in February.

Ratcliffe was asked about the importance of qualifying for the Champions League and said: "We really, really want to get into the Champions League next year - it's quite important for FFP. It's a two to three-season challenge to get the organisation and environment right to produce results."

The British billionaire struck all the right notes in his different interviews that week and reiterating the importance of Champions League football was a message to Erik ten Hag.

Manchester United were behind Aston Villa and Tottenham but they'd recently won at Villa Park and when Ratcliffe spoke, the unbeaten run in 2024 had yet to be brought to an end.

ALSO READ: My world came crashing down - but now I'm thriving on loan

ALSO READ: 'I don't want to add fuel to the fire' - Bellingham's verdict on Mainoo

Fulham won at Old Trafford just a few days later, which felt like a potentially significant setback in the top four race, however, the March international break is about to conclude and United are six points behind Spurs and trail Villa (who they have a game in hand over) by nine points.

For a large part of the first half of the campaign, qualifying for the Champions League seemed out of reach, but momentum has swung and a few results have gone United's way. February felt like a season-defining month and United came through it smelling of roses if you ignore the Fulham blip. April has a similar feel and the next few games are crucial.

You could suggest the remaining 10 games are 'cup finals', just as Ten Hag has, but the next two against Brentford and Chelsea feel particularly important for a number of reasons.

To begin with, United take