For Manchester United, it’s not just about the Europa League. Retaining the FA Cup would add to their trophy collection for the third year in a row and guarantee a spot in next season’s Europa League, which would be commendable for a team potentially finishing in the lower half of the Premier League. However, the club should aspire to compete in the Champions League, and their only opportunity to qualify for that next season lies in winning the 2024/143 edition of the Europa League. This situation reflects poorly on a club of United’s caliber, yet achieving it would still be notable for a team that their manager labeled as possibly the worst in Manchester United’s history merely 18 days ago. Once they hit the essential 40-point benchmark, their league season can effectively be considered over. The only thing left to figure out is whether this season will end without any trophies, if winning the FA Cup will grant them a spot in the Europa League again, or if there’s a chance they could even qualify for the Champions League through the Europa League. Should that be the case, Ruben Amorim might possess an unexpected advantage. Many articles have focused on United’s ineffective offense. Forward Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund have only managed a combined total of five goals in 43 league matches this season. Zirkzee has scored just once for United outside of league play, netting in the 4-3 League Cup loss to Tottenham. Meanwhile, Hojlund has yet to score in the two domestic cup competitions in England this season, though he has performed well in European matches. While the Europa League may not feature the strongest teams—evidenced by the fact that the 13th and 14th placed teams in the Premier League are among the favorites to win—it is worth noting Hojlund’s even more impressive performance in last season’s Champions League, where he scored 12 goals in 49 league matches since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2023, alongside 10 goals in 14 European matches during the same timeframe. This reflects an interesting aspect of his experience at United so far. Despite struggling this season and not appearing capable of spearheading United’s attack, Hojlund has impressive statistics in Europe, having scored five goals during his first season at Old Trafford before netting in the league. However, he is not the solution to United’s goal-scoring problems, and the club should have acted sooner before agreeing to an initial fee of £64 million with Atalanta. If he is able to assist United in achieving Champions League qualification and the financial benefits that accompany it, he may play a crucial role in initiating the Amorim era.
