This is the fifth time that Manchester United have competed in the Europa League in the last nine seasons and the third time they have entered at the group stage. If that now seems unremarkable and nothing out of the ordinary, it did not used to be. A first round exit to Rotor Volgograd on away goals was United’s last appearance in the second tier of European competition under Sir Alex Ferguson. That was all the way back in 1995.
From then onwards, Ferguson led United to 18 consecutive seasons of Champions League football, a run that only ended once he had retired having won it twice. A lot has changed since that long and unbroken streak started – both at Old Trafford and in football generally. The arithmetic of a Premier League ‘big six’ and only four qualifying spots for Europe’s elite competition means that at least two clubs are always likely to be disappointed. In recent years, United have too often found themselves on the wrong side of that divide.
