Former Manchester United assistant coach Mike Phelan believes that manager David Moyes may struggle to lure high calibre players to Old Trafford without Champions League football.

The North-West outfit are unlikely to qualify for the competition next season as they currently reside sixth in the Premier League table, 11 points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool.

"Playing the Champions League is always an issue," Phelan told talkSPORT. "You are always going to be in competition with other football clubs for big players, whether you're in Europe or not.

"It might turn into a situation where David Moyes has two shopping lists. He'll have one for being in Europe and one for not.

"The attraction to play for Manchester United will still be there, though. They're making the sign that they'll plough money into the market this summer and pay big salaries, so it's an interesting time."

United secured the signature of Juan Mata from Chelsea for a reported club-record fee of £37.1m in January.