Manchester United’s absence from the Champions league for the second time in three years was confirmed on Tuesday after a 3-1 win over Bournemouth in an English Premier league game hastily rearranged because of a bomb scare.
Wayne Rooney scored one goal and played a part in the other two, scored by Marcus Rashford and substitute Ashley Young, as United finished in fifth place to qualify for the Europa league group stage.
Qualifying for the Champions league — with its prestige and vast riches — was United’s priority this season, meaning that manager louis van Gaal has failed to meet his targets. David Moyes was fired in 2014 for that very reason, and Van Gaal will find out after the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace on Saturday whether he goes the same way.
“It is the highest level,” Van Gaal said of the Champions league, “and a club like Manchester United has to play at that level.”
To do so, United had to beat Bournemouth by a minimum 19-goal margin to overtake fourth-place Manchester City. Even in the strangest season in the Premier league’s 24-year history, that was never going to happen and United wound up behind City on goal difference.
There were some jeers from United fans as Van Gaal took to the microphone in the center circle after the game. The Dutchman thanked supporters for their “unconditional support,” adding: “Now, we want to bring the FA Cup home to you.”
That still might not save his job, although Van Gaal answered with a resounding “yes” when asked if he would still be United manager next season. He has one year left on his contract.
United ended the league campaign with 49 goals, the team’s lowest return since 1989-90 and a paltry total compared to the ones that United teams under Alex Ferguson used to deliver.
The original game on Sunday was called off after Old Trafford was evacuated because a fake bomb was discovered in the toilets of one of the stands. Police said hours later that the device was left behind by a private company following a security training exercise using search dogs.
It was not only an acutely embarrassing episode for United, it meant the team had to return two days later to play the game — disrupting preparations for the cup final.
Van Gaal played a full-strength team against Bournemouth, and appeared to avoid any injuries. Bournemouth, meanwhile, had to make a second 500-mile (800-kilometer) round trip in three days from the south coast to the north, and couldn’t even use its own training pitches in between times because they had been dug up in advance of preseason.