Champions League absence weighs on Man Utd earnings

(Reuters) - English soccer club Manchester United reported lower second-quarter revenue and core profit as the club's absence from this season's European Champions League took its toll.

Core earnings fell 31% to 72 million pounds ($93 million) for the three months ended December 31. Revenue came in at 168 million pounds, down 19%.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has relied heavily on the club's academy graduates, such as Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams, with the team sitting fifth in the Premier League table, three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

"We are pushing for a strong finish in the Premier League, the Europa League and the FA Cup as we enter the final third of the season,” Executive Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward said in a statement.

“The foundation for delivering the long-term success that we are all working towards is in place as we implement our plan and our footballing vision with Ole.”

The 20-times English champions maintained their financial guidance for the 2019-20 year ending in June.

($1 = 0.7714 pounds)

(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong and Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; Editing by David Goodman)