Why isn’t Manchester United playing in the Champions League?

The new-look Champions League kicks off this week and despite the flashy new graphics, revamped logo, fresh ball and a completely different style of tournament, Manchester United still aren’t in the WhatsApp group.

Erik ten Hag’s side will not feature in the UEFA Champions League this season and will continue to remain outside of Europe’s elite competition due to one very simple - but ultimately damning - reason: they’re just not good enough to be involved.

Alex Ferguson left the club after managing them from 1986 to 2013, with over 1,000 games and over 30 trophies (including two Champions Leagues) in his pocket. Since then, the club have been flying round like a wasp in a jar, constantly banging their head off the glass and buzzing in all directions looking for a solution. It hasn’t come and [insert huge number] managers later, they’re still fumbling along with ten Hag ‘at the wheel’ and missed out on UEFA Champions League qualification once again.

How many teams from the EPL qualify for the Champions League?

This year saw a host of changes to the tournament, but the Premier League itself missed out on securing an extra Champions League place due to the performance of their teams in the competition.

Each time a match is played, teams win coefficient points which add up to rank their respective league in a mini-table: Manchester City’s loss to Real Madrid and Arsenal being knocked out by Bayern Munich meant that the Premier League fell behind Serie A and the Bundesliga in this ranking and the English first division missed out on the prize that would have seen the 5th team qualify for the first stage of the Champions League. As a result, they maintained their status and only the top 4 teams make it into the tournament.

If Manchester United finished 8th, why are they allowed in the Europa League?

Manchester United did not finish in the top 4 of the Premier League last season. In fact, they were lightyears behind, ending the season in 8th place, behind the top four, Spurs, Newcastle and Chelsea.

However, they are still allowed to play some form of European football this season due to the fact that they won the FA Cup, which grants a second team in England - as well as 5th place - a spot in the Europa League. In conclusion, in order to get back into the elite football tournament, Manchester United simply have to get their business right on the turf.

The Champions League, for those who qualified, starts on Tuesday 17 September and the first week will see games be played across not two days but three, with Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 also seeing action.