Man Utd respond to claims they could be barred from next season's Europa League

Manchester United have responded to claims that they could be banned from next season's Europa League despite qualifying for it.

Erik ten Hag's side won the FA Cup on Saturday, beating Manchester City 2-1 at Wembley.

The victory ensured they would qualify for the Europa League, after missing out on Europe entirely via their Premier League finishing position of eighth.

But an issue has reportedly arisen surrounding United's potential inclusion in the Europa League, which was won by Italian side Atalanta last week.

That issue is in the form of Nice, who are also owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS (a majority stake, rather than the minority share they hold in United).

The French side finished fifth in Ligue 1, booking their place in the tournament.

However, UEFA ownership regulations state that two clubs who are controlled by the same party cannot compete in the same UEFA competition.

The rule usually applies to the team that finishes lowest in the league, in this case United, although the Red Devils' automatic qualification through winning the FA Cup has meant some confusion over that particular rule.

Now, INEOS have looked to clear up some of that confusion with a rare statement.

The statement, published via the Daily Mail, reads: "We are aware of the position of the two clubs and we are in direct dialogue with UEFA.

"We are convinced that we have a solution for next season in Europe."

One potential option for both clubs, due to relaxed UEFA rules, would be for one of them to drop down to the Europa Conference League if necessary for next season.

With United confident that a solution is in place, however, it remains to be seen whether any sort of agreement with UEFA would allow both teams to play in the Europa League instead.