What Manchester United must do to secure European football for next season
Manchester United could yet record their worst-ever Premier League finish with two games left to play this season.
The lowest the club have finished is seventh during the 2013/14 season while 2021/22 saw them record their lowest points tally of 58. United currently sit in eighth on 54 points with tricky games against Newcastle and Brighton to close out the league season.
There is a real possibility that United miss out on European football completely, which would be a hammer blow to revenue amid their battles with Financial Fair Play and could signal a greater number of player exits this summer. However, all is not yet lost.
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With a fifth-place finish now gone thanks to Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, sixth is the highest United can finish while seventh may also be enough for European football. Here are the permutations heading into the final week of the Premier League season ahead of the FA Cup final on May 25.
In order for United to finish sixth, they must earn at least four points from their remaining couple of games. If they win one and draw the other, they can finish sixth should Newcastle (in sixth) and Chelsea (in seventh) lose both of their remaining fixtures.
Also, if United win both of their final games and Chelsea and Newcatsle only manage to pick up two points in theirs, United will secure sixth spot and be guaranteed Europa League football.
If United are to try and earn a top seven spot, then they must tally at least four points and hope Chelsea lose both of their matches. If United win both of their games and Newcastle beat Brentford