Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Man United rebuild at risk of delay if Erik ten Hag fails on key target

Had Manchester United played their cards right, they would be right in the thick of the battle to secure Champions League qualification with just seven games left to play.

Instead, United are now focusing on what is in their rear-view mirror as the battle to secure Europa League and Europa Conference League qualification intensifies. Following the weekend's Premier League action, just two points separate United in sixth and Newcastle United in eighth.

United, for the third time in as many matches, squandered the lead late on against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, meaning they have surrendered seven points from winning positions since the international break. As undeserving as victories against Brentford and Liverpool would have been, the four points United lost in those two games, plus the three they chucked away at Chelsea, would have had them hot on the heels of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

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Barring a miracle, United's hopes of competing in the Champions League next season are over. Even if the Premier League is awarded a fifth Champions League spot for 2024/25, United are going to have to make up 11 points on both Spurs and Villa and hope at least one of them has a torrid end to the season.

After fighting so relentlessly throughout 2022/23 to secure Champions League qualification for this season, few would have anticipated the possibility of European football being staged at Old Trafford on Thursday nights again quite so soon. Whether it is the Europa League or the Europa Conference League that United participate in next season, it is going to have a significant