5 reasons why Manchester United can win the Europa League this season

#5 Premier League woes

Manchester United slow start to the season has hit their hopes of finishing in the Top 4

For a moment, step back and try to contemplate what it would have been like had Manchester United been embroiled in a Premier League title race right now. Europa League would rightly take backstage – there would be clamour from Manchester United fans themselves to prioritise the league. In such a situation, with the Top 4 virtually guaranteed, there would have been no sense of desperation creeping through a United squad in the Europa League at the thought of how to play CL football next season.

As things stand, how the Premier League table will finally shape up is anyone's guess – but if you are forced to bet on it, United would be one among the two heavyweights who must make way for the Top 4 in the top six. That is not a foregone conclusion, of course, but then the Europa League contests naturally assume a lot more significance – as a genuine route to Champions League football that is arguably more straightforward than the plots and twists of the Premier League.

Even if they end up finishing 6th, a Europa League triumph would set United up in a formidable position for next season – perhaps even better than finishing fourth at the expense of adding to the trophy cabinet.