With Manchester United crashing out the Champions League they join Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in the last 32 – with Chelsea and Arsenal to potentially follow on Wednesday night.

Executives from Channel 5 and ITV will be choking on their cornflakes. For years their investment in Europe's second-tier competition was money down the plughole.

'Thursday nights, Channel 5' became a chant of derision. Spanish and Russian clubs took it seriously, but not ours.

Chelsea did win it in 2013 but it wasn't enough for Rafa Benitez to keep the manager's job. Before then, the last Premier League finalists were Fulham and Middlesbrough. Hardly synonimous with glamour.

But that might be all about to change. UEFA's decision to hand the winners a Champions League spot mean Spurs and Liverpool have taken it seriously enough to reach the knockout stages.

Harry Kane scored the winner in Tottenham's last game rather than being left to rest for the Premier League.

Now, following Tuesday night's defeat in Wolfsburg, Manchester United are going to be there too. It's such a topsy-turvy Premier League season where nobody seems guaranteed a top-four finish, the Europa League looks like a brilliant insurance policy.

You can expect Chelsea and Arsenal to feel the same should they fail to get into the latter stages of the Champions League.

Five English clubs would leave the possibility of some mouthwatering midweek cup ties.

And who wouldn't enjoy a Manchester United-Liverpool final in this year's venue for the final, Basle?

They could even get hometown hero Roger Federer to hand the trophy to either Wayne Rooney or Jordan Henderson.

BT Sport would love that. Suddenly, the decision to buy 175 Europa League matches looks a better proposition than it once did.

(dailymail.co.uk)