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10th April 2024
02:31pm BST
Manchester United could qualify for next season's Champions League even if they finish in sixth place due to a change in the rules from Uefa.
Erik ten Hag's side are currently 11 points behind Aston Villa with just seven games left of the season after failing to win any of their last three games.
United drew with Liverpool last Sunday, they were beaten by Chelsea a few days earlier and drew with Brentford the week before.
Miraculously, however, there's still a chance that United could qualify for the Champions League.
How? Well, England are expected to receive an additional Champions League place as one of the two countries (alongside Italy) acting as Uefa coefficients.
This means that fifth place could see you qualifying for the Champions League and this will most likely fall to Tottenham or Villa.
But United could still be in with a chance, if West Ham finish fifth and also win the Europa League, reports The Sun.
West Ham face unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals.
If they win the Europa League, that will free up another spot in the Champions League for an English club.
This is because the additional place only applies to where one finishes in the domestic league, not Champions League or Europa League successes.
Theoretically, this means even finishing seventh could land you in the Champions League, should the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League be English clubs who finish outside of the top four.
However, this won't be the case this year as Man City and Arsenal are more or less guaranteed a top-four spot.
Sixth place is still up for grabs though and it's all down to how West Ham approaches their next few games.
While it's certainly unlikely, it does all hang in the balance. It's an intense wait for Man United.
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