Forgotten UEFA rule deals Manchester United Champions League blow

Manchester United could end up relying on the extra Champions League place potentially on offer to the Premier League this season amid their attempts to rescue qualification.

The Champions League format is changing from next season, with four extra places up for grabs. Two of those spots will go to the countries whose teams have performed best in Europe during the season.

It means that the club who finishes fifth in the Premier League could be handed a place in the Champions League the following campaign. United - knocked out of Europe at the group stage - are currently five points off the top four with 13 matches left to play.

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Italy are currently leading the way for a fifth Champions League spot in UEFA’s coefficient ranking but Germany have now also overtaken England in the standings in the top two. However, it is unlikely the Bundesliga will ultimately stay above the Premier League come the end of the season.

Points are awarded for how far each club goes in a UEFA competition, with an average being sought for each country when the scores are divided by the number of their clubs taking part in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

More points for round-by-round progression are awarded in the Champions League, with these being scaled down through the tiers of competition, albeit the amount of points for a win (two) remains the same across all three tournaments.

No English sides played in the knockout play-off rounds of the Europa League and Europa Conference League, meaning Germany has edged ahead in the coefficient rankings after the first batch of fixtures as Premier