LONDON, Feb 27 — Manchester United cannot bank on winning the Europa League to ensure their place in next season’s Champions League, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said.

The Old Trafford side are fifth in the Premier League, three points behind Chelsea, who occupy the fourth and final berth for Europe’s elite club competition.

United host Club Brugge later today in the second leg of their Europa League last 32 tie, which is locked at 1-1.

"In a cup competition you never know ... you cannot predict, you can’t rely on, ‘we’ll win this.’ There are good teams in it,” Solskjaer told a news conference.

"It might be a bad day, you meet someone ... so we just take one game at a time, hopefully take as many points as we can in the league.”

Another Champions League miss for United could prove costly with the club reporting lower second-quarter revenue and core profit due to their absence from the competition this season.

"We’re a big club, we’ve got good finances but the longer you’re out of it, the more you’ll suffer,” Solskjaer added.

"So of course it’s an ambition for us to get back into the Champions League for footballing reasons, but also financially that will help the club.” — Reuters