Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City should have all but ruled the Red Devils out of the race for top four, but as Arsenal and Chelsea keep dishing out lifelines, the last Champions League spot remains firmly up for grabs. And it may be the most important race in years... English clubs have often sat out the latter stages of the Champions League in recent times. Prior to this season, we had managed just two semi-finalists since 2012 – as many as this year alone. It’s a decade since England had such a presence. In 2009 we had three semi-finalists, following an all-English final in 2008. Indeed, English clubs featured in all but one final between 2006 and 2011 - it was almost a given that we’d have representation in the decider of the world’s greatest club competition. And so as English football once again threatens to dominate following many years of European subservience to the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and serial-winners Real Madrid, you do not want to be the club that misses out. Manchester United spearheaded the last of England’s finest eras in Europe, appearing in three finals in four years. But this time, currently stranded in sixth place, they are the ones who may suffer most by failing to qualify. Champions League football, as United embark on their most crucial and risky administration since Alex Ferguson, couldn’t be more important. It’s too early to judge Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s managerial credentials as both a tactician and a squad builder. He’s the new kid on the block, and so will need all the help he can get dealing in a summer transfer window as part of an elite club for the first time – but this means being a part of Europe’s premier club competition. This is because Solskjaer cannot yet guarantee a player success by pointing at the trophies he’s won, nor does he possess the gravitas of some managers whose legendary status alone entices players to the club. The draw of Champions League football would make his first foray into the market – and United’s transition under the Norwegian – a whole lot easier.