Erik ten Hag warns ‘it is very important’ Manchester United qualify for the Champions League or risk missing out on £100m+ in additional funding that could impact summer recruitment plans
- The Man United manager has stressed the importance of qualifying for Europe
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Erik ten Hag has warned that missing out on Champions League qualification will have a serious impact on Manchester United’s ability to spend on new signings in the summer.
The Dutchman guided the Red Devils to Europe’s premier competition last season during his first year at the club, but was unable to prevent United’s embarrassing elimination in the group stage this season.
A difficult first half of the current season has left United nine points behind the top four, with a trip to Villa Park on Sunday giving them the chance to close the gap on the above teams.
Finishing fifth in the Premier League could also be enough to qualify for the Champions League due to new rules, but it depends on the circumstances.
However, Ten Hag has explained that if United fail to make it into next season’s competition, they will have less ‘financial power’ to bring in new players.
Erik ten Hag has warned that missing out on Champions League qualification will have serious consequences for Manchester United’s ability to spend on new recruits
United embarrassingly dropped out of the Champions League at the group stage this season
United will miss out on the extra £100m on offer if they fail to qualify for the Champions League
The 13-time Premier League champions are already trying to balance the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules and failed to bring in reinforcements in January despite Ten Hag picking up several injuries this season.
Before Sunday’s match against Aston Villa, Ten Hag said: ‘It is very important to play the Champions League, that is clear.
‘We don’t even have to talk about that. What exactly is the impact right now? Don’t know.
“You have more financial power if you reach the Champions League and that is absolutely our goal.”
United were knocked out of this season’s competition after losing to Bayern Munich in their final group match
Ten Hag emphasized the financial importance of qualifying for the European top competition
If they fail to qualify for the competition, which United have won three times in their history, they would miss out on a bonus of more than £100 million on offer to rival teams.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s multi-billion dollar investment in the club is likely to replenish some of the recruitment coffers, but any new money must meet the FFP guidelines to which United and other Premier League clubs are bound.
Ten Hag must also prove himself as the best candidate for the Old Trafford job, with Ratcliffe and his INEOS team taking over sporting control at the club from the Glazers.
A second successive finish in the Champions League would show that progress is being made on the pitch, despite the problems that have arisen this season.
