Manchester United Reportedly Cancel Christmas Party After Champions League Exit

Manchester United's players have personally decided to cancel their squad Christmas party following their group-stage exit from the Champions League.

According to the Daily Mail's Chris Wheeler, the players "are said to have taken it on themselves to cancel the players' night out without any pressure from [Louis] Van Gaal because they did not want to be seen out celebrating at a difficult time for the club."

United crashed out of UEFA's elite competition on Tuesday as a 3-2 defeat away at Wolfsburg left them third in Group B having accrued just eight points in six games.

The Red Devils finished behind the Bundesliga side and PSV Eindhoven, ahead of only CSKA Moscow.

Football writer Liam Canning was among many to criticise them following their exit, particularly with the revenue United generate and the subsequent spending on players:

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News did the same, noting that while United put up a good fight in their final game, their performances in those prior were subpar:

The Red Devils will now compete in the knockout stages of the Europa League in the latter half of the season—something that will be of little comfort to the club or its fans as they seek to win the Premier League title.

According to UEFA, United have missed out on a possible £27.9 million in prize money for departing the Champions League in this manner.

However, the club would very possibly have been facing an early exit in the knockout stages anyway. According to the Guardian's Jamie Jackson, "The monies gained from playing in the Europa League, plus finance saved from bonuses to players, and staff and travel costs" mean United could only stand to lose around £5 million.

Their well-documented problems run deeper than that, though, as tedious, unattractive and largely ineffective attacking play has become the norm at Old Trafford, and the team have picked up uninspiring results to match.

Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

Indeed, in the 10 games prior to the Wolfsburg defeat, United had played out seven draws—five of which were goalless.

With all that in mind, United's decision could well be a wise one to avoid risking further ire from their frustrated fans.

Their campaign is hardly beyond salvaging as they remain firmly in contention for the Premier League title, while they also have a much more realistic chance of winning the Europa League than they did the Champions League—provided they're willing to dedicate the necessary time and resources.

Still, until the team are showing more in the attacking third—something that may require further recruitment in January—a significant number of fans will likely continue to voice their frustrations, so cancelling the party won't have a transformative impact on the atmosphere around the club either.