MU missed Europa League: Red Devils empty-handed, immediately lost 2.8 billion USD

Disaster season

This Sunday, MU will host Aston Villa at Old Trafford in the final round of the Premier League (10pm on May 25), a match in which the Red Devils could face another defeat as Unai Emery's team is fighting for a place in the Champions League.

Even if MU wins and makes Aston Villa miss out on Champions League tickets, this is still a season of heavy failure for Ruben Amorim and his team.

MU had a trophyless season and a record of failure. Photo: Imago

In the Premier League, MU have suffered 18 defeats so far – that is 48.65% of the matches played.

Historically, there have only been three times when the Red Devils have lost more after 37 games, and all occurred before World War II: 19 in 1936/37; 20 in 1921/22; 25 in 1930/31.

MU fans call this the worst season in history for the club that has won the English football championship 20 times, equal to Liverpool.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's replacement of the Glazer family to manage all aspects of the game has not been as effective as expected, at least until the end of the 2024/25 season.

The disastrous results on the pitch have had a heavy impact on finances, specifically MU's share price.

After the Europa League final loss to Tottenham 0-1 at San Mames , the Red Devils' shares recorded their biggest drop in more than eight months, falling 8.67% in Thursday's trading session.

The damage on the stock market comes not only from MU not winning the Europa League title and going home empty-handed this season, but also because the club will not participate in any European tournaments next season.

MU lost 2.8 billion USD in the first trading session after the Europa League final. Photo: Imago

MU could not finish the Premier League season in the top 6 to get a ticket to Europe. The Red Devils also missed the last chance to play in the Champions League when Tottenham won the Europa League.

The failure means MU suffers market losses of up to 2.8 billion USD (about 2.5 billion euros; or 2.08 billion pounds).

Damage and recovery

For investors, not being able to participate in the Champions League will cause MU to face serious financial difficulties, which have existed for many years.

This affects the ability to sign commercial deals and sell tickets, as well as reducing the team's attractiveness in recruiting new players.

The Champions League brings not only sporting prestige, but also huge revenues from the new version – UEFA's solution to Florentino Perez's Super League – as well as ticket sales and television rights.

The fact that MU will only compete domestically next season, with the Premier League as a priority, has made Sir Ratcliffe tighten his savings policy even more.

MU will change greatly, Bruno Fernandes is not sure to stay. Photo: Imago

MU finds it difficult to compete for big stars with rivals in English and European football, and must accept risks when investing in potential players - like the failed deals of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

However, analysts believe that MU's tragedy will not last long. The potential for recovery, both in terms of sport and finance, of the Red Devils is huge.

On the one hand, they point out that United are a club with higher revenues than most of their rivals – according to Forbes, the team's revenue last season was $785 million.

On the other hand, they stressed that the comprehensive renovation of Old Trafford could help increase revenue by an additional 270 million USD per year thanks to increased ticket sales, event organization and VIP room service.

While waiting for the day of football and financial recovery, MU fans will likely witness an "iron fist" reform by Ratcliffe - the richest billionaire in England.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mu-trang-tay-mat-2-8-ty-usd-sau-tham-hoa-europa-league-2404138.html