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Manchester City prevailed 3-1 over a spirited Sunderland side at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to win the Capital One Cup – manager Manuel Pellegrini’s first trophy in English football.

For Manchester United fans, the sight of their neighbours in Blue lifting the League Cup aloft was likely an unbearable one, especially given their current plights.

United will probably finish this season empty handed having dropped out of the title race some time ago and been eliminated from the two domestic cup competitions.

They also have a real battle on their hands if they are to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, having lost the first leg of their last-16 clash to Olympiakos 2-0 in Greece.

City meanwhile can still win the quadruple and prove they are the new ‘big dogs’ in Manchester having been labelled United’s ‘noisy neighbours’ in recent times.

With the Citizens still on course to add to their Capital One Cup crown by scooping a record haul of silverware, United fans can be forgiven for feeling deflated by comparison.

However, they may well be advised to look on the bright side. City’s winning of the League Cup is actually beneficial to the Red Devils.

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Had underdogs Sunderland won the trophy – as looked to be the case when Fabio Borini gave his side a shock 1-0 lead at half-time, the Black Cats would have qualified for the Europa League.

Such a scenario would have meant United finishing seventh in the Premier League – a position they currently occupy – would not have been enough to earn qualification for Europe.

But as things stand, United may only have to finish sixth this term in order to qualify.

Under current Uefa rules, there are three Europa League spots for English sides, which are awarded to the clubs who finish fifth and who win the FA Cup and League Cup.

Because League Cup winners City are certain to qualify for the Champions League next season, their place instead goes to the next best-placed club in the Premier League – sixth-place.

United are currently eight points off fifth-placed Spurs with only 11 league games left. However, they are just three behind Everton in sixth, with the two sides still to meet at Goodison Park.

And it gets better for the Red Devils. They could still scrape into Europe next season even if they are unable to pip Roberto Martinez’s side into sixth.

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Should the FA Cup final be contested by clubs who have already qualified for Europe, I.e Arsenal and City, then seventh in the Premier League would be enough to get a Europa League place.

That’s because the winner of the FA Cup goes into the Europa League or, if they have qualified for the Champions League, the runners up enter. In either eventuality both will have qualified.

In said situation, seventh-placed United would grab the third and final European slot by default and enter at round three of the Europa qualifiers.

This gives David Moyes’s stuttering side yet more breathing space and will come as relief for fans concerned their club might miss out on European football altogether next season.

Missing out on Europe entirely would have huge ramifications for United, both fiscally and in terms of the power they can command in this summer’s transfer window.

Liverpool, for example, who look on par to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2010, will be all too aware of the consequences that come with not being in Europe.

Last summer, the Reds attempted to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Diego Costa and Willian – but all three instead opted to sign for teams currently playing in the Champions and Europa League.

And United may likewise find that, with not even the carrot of Europa League football to offer, targets such as Toni Kroos (below), Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan prove unobtainable.

That would be a disaster for Moyes, who so obviously needs to overhaul his squad this summer and buy in proven, top quality players if he is to avoid a similarly crushing campaign next season.

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Is The Europa League An Unwelcome Distraction?

The Europa League is often maligned by fans and critics alike as an ‘unwelcome distraction’, with trips to places like Russia or Ukraine on a Thursday night not considered desirable.

Resurgent Liverpool have proved this season that not contesting either the Champions or Europa League has its advantages with Brendan Rodgers’ side surging into second place in the league.

However, TV revenue and gate receipts will provide United the cash injection they’ll so desperately need during their isolation from the Champions League. There are financial implications.

The Red Devil’s annual presence in a competition worth up to £50 million a year in prize money and broadcasting rights has, until now, helped offset debts reported to stand at £400 million.

Clearly, no Champions League football will hit those at Old Trafford hard next season, from loyal supporters in the Stretford End through to the moneymen in the boardroom upstairs.

Recent reports suggest United stand to lose £20 million next season due to their inevitable absence from European football’s premier club competition.

But qualifying for the Europa League will at least cushion that impact somewhat, dependent upon the Red Devil’s performance in the tournament, if they do indeed make it.

Last season’s English Europa League entrants, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle and Liverpool, received a combined total €26 million for their participation in the competition.

Winners Chelsea received €10,704,878 of that amount, showing that qualifying for the often-scoffed-at tournament can be lucrative.

United will need the funds received from potential prize money and broadcasting rights provided by the Europa League to remain competitive during their wilderness period from Europe.

The club’s presence in the competition will keep the cash coming in, and ensure it still appeals to transfer targets. The Europa League is a small carrot, but a carrot it nonetheless remains.

So here’s to Manchester City’s League Cup win – and hopefully an Arsenal-City FA Cup final.

Read more of our Man City coverage.