Manchester United are keen to return to the Champions League after their brief appearance in the 2023/24 campaign, which ended with them finishing bottom of their group
Manchester United have been handed a boost in their pursuit of a Champions League finish this season. The Reds have jumped into fourth place in the Premier League after back‑to‑back wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.
Securing a Champions League spot has been difficult for United in recent years, with their most recent appearance coming in the 2023/24 season. That is because qualifying is no longer as simple as finishing in the top four for Premier League clubs, with extra places up for grabs.
To determine which nations are given the extra spots, UEFA assesses the collective performance of their clubs across the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
The average is calculated by dividing a league’s total coefficient score by the number of clubs it has competing in Europe.
This season, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle United have all taken part in the competition. Of the six, only Newcastle finished in a play‑off position, with the others securing automatic spots in the knockout stage.
With the league phase of the Champions League now complete, a clearer picture is emerging of which countries are in line for an extra place next season.
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As it stands, England lead the coefficient table with 180,625 points, followed by Germany on 107,000. Portugal sit third with 14,700 points, while Spain are fourth on 14,375.
The two nations whose clubs perform best across the three European competitions this season will earn European Performance Spots (EPS).
With England currently top of the rankings, a fifth‑place finish in the Premier League could give United a Champions League spot rather than a Europa League berth.
Newcastle benefited from this system last season.
Looking at United’s current position in the table, they would be guaranteed a Champions League spot as things stand, sitting fourth.
However, there are still plenty of games to be played between now and the end of the season. Interim head coach Michael Carrick has already warned his team not to get ahead of themselves.
Up next is a home clash against Fulham in the Premier League, where they will look to make it three wins from three and keep his perfect record intact since taking over from caretaker Darren Fletcher.
