It's not quite Europa League or bust for Manchester United.
Defending the FA Cup crown would see their trophy cabinet furnished for the third season running and secure qualification for the Europa League next term - a decent achievement from a side staring down the barrel of a bottom half Premier League finish.
But dining at Europe's top table should be the aim and United's only chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League is by winning the 2024/25 edition of Europe's secondary club competition.
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That's a truly damning indictment of a club of United's stature, yet it would be a decent achievement from a side dubbed "the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United" by their manager just 18 days ago.
Once the magic 40-point mark is reached United's league campaign is as good as over. All that will be left to determine is will this be a trophyless season, will FA Cup glory secure Europa League football again or could they possibly even snatch Champions League football via the Europa League?
If it is to be the latter then Ruben Amorim could have an unlikely weapon at his disposal.
Plenty of column inches have been dedicated to United's toothless attack. Strikers Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund have a meagre five goals between them in their combined total of 43 league appearances this season.
Zirkzee's only United goal away from league action came in the 4-3 League Cup defeat to Tottenham, and while Hojlund has failed to open his account in England's two domestic cup competitions this term, his record in Europe has been solid.
Granted, the Europa League isn't stacked with quality sides - the Premier League's 13th and 14th-placed sides being top of the bookmakers' list of favourites to win the competition should tell you that much - but Hojlund's record in Europe was even more impressive in last season's Champions League.
Having scored 12 goals in 49 league games since moving to Old Trafford in 2023, Hojlund has hit 10 goals in 14 European outings in that same period.
It's a quirk of his time at United so far. Having looked way off the pace this season and certainly not up to the task of leading United's forward line, Hojlund's stats in Europe remain impressive having bagged five European goals in his maiden season at Old Trafford before he opened his league account for the club.
Hojlund isn't the answer to United's goalscoring woes and the club should have bolted long before an initial fee of £64m was agreed with Atalanta. But if he can help United secure Champions League qualification and the riches that come with it then he could be key to kickstarting the Amorim era.
