The Europa League knockout stages get underway on Thursday evening and on paper, Manchester United are one of the favourites to lift the trophy in Bilbao.
AS Roma, Lazio, Tottenham, Ajax and Athletic Club will all fancy their chances at success in the tournament but United are by far the biggest club in the tournament. Amid the struggles in the league and off-the-pitch, the Red Devils could really do with winning the Europa League.
The summer transfer window is set to be one of the biggest in the club's recent history with Ruben Amorim desperate to add quality reinforcements to his squad. To facilitate the overhaul, United need money and to add funds, they have to qualify for Europe - ideally, the Champions League.
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The winner of the Europa League will automatically qualify to compete in Europe's most-prestigious tournament. Calls for Amorim to place all his eggs in the European competition for the remainder of the season, as Jose Mourinho did in 2017, have been made due to the major financial windfall it brings.
Qualifying for the Champions League is understood to be worth around £80million in broadcast revenue, prize money and home gate receipts. Clubs also earn £1.8m per win in the league phase and £590k for a draw.
Obviously, the further a team goes in the tournament, the more money they will clock-up. For example, Arsenal have earned £9.3m for qualifying for the last 16 and will add another £10.6m for reaching the quarter-final.
Teams who go on to win the competition will earn £56.4m for prize money in the knockout stages alone. Combined with the gate receipts and broadcast revenue, the financial benefit of playing in the Champions League is off the scale.
For United, combine that with the £35.5m on offer for winning the Europa League this season, there's every reason to throw everything into the competition.
