United suffered a humiliating 5-0 home defeat to bitter rivals, Liverpool, in October that briefly looked as though it could cost manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had earned a brief respite with the 3-0 win over Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is fighting to save his job at Old Trafford after the humiliating 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
The Norwegian was thought to have been at risk of a sack after Sunday’s 5-0 humiliation of Manchester United by Liverpool.
The feeling within the club is that while the result was bitterly disappointing and painful for everyone, the immediate focus is on improving after picking up one point from their last four Premier League games.
The Manchester Evening News understands the club hierarchy is giving serious consideration to dismissing Solskjaer.
There was intense scrutiny on the 1999 treble hero and his players heading into the Group F encounter after Saturday’s embarrassing loss at Leicester compounded recent poor performances.
Ronaldo signed a two-year deal with an option for a third year when he rejoined United from Juventus last month and wants to carry on playing for as long as possible.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were beaten semi-finalists in the last two editions and came into this match fresh from sealing a thrilling 2-1 Premier League win at the London Stadium when the sides met on Sunday.
The Red Devils suffered a 2-1 loss to Young Boys in their opening group-stage fixture on Tuesday, but West Ham started their Europa League challenge with an impressive 2-0 success away to Dinamo Zagreb.
Three-and-a-half months on from losing the Europa League final to Villarreal on penalties, the Red Devils were on course to return to continental action with a straightforward win after Cristiano Ronaldo’s early opener.
The Portugal international capped his return by netting a brace against the Magpies, while Bruno Fernandes and Jesse Lingard were also on the scoresheet in a 4-1 success for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
The match is expected to mark the second debut of Cristiano Ronaldo, who incredibly returned to Old Trafford from Juventus in the final stages of the summer transfer window.
The 36-year-old returned to the club he excelled for during six medal-laden seasons on deadline day.
The 36-year-old re-joined United from Juventus on a two-year deal in August and could make his ‘second debut’ as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side host Newcastle United.
He completed his fairytale return to Old Trafford on transfer deadline day, joining from Juventus for around £12m, with the 36-year-old hoping to fire Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men to Premier League glory this season.
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon D’or winner, has so far won over 30 major trophies during his career, including five UEFA Champions League titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, seven league titles in England, Spain and Italy, and the UEFA European Championship for his native Portugal.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will oversee his 100th Premier League match in charge of the Red Devils and history could also be made, just days after the 20-time champions pulled off a sensational deal to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club.
The Red Devils finished second behind Manchester City in last season’s table, while Leeds impressed on their return to the top flight, picking up 59 points from 38 matches to claim ninth.
Having completed deals for Tom Heaton and Jadon Sancho, the Old Trafford giants announced on July 27 they had struck a deal with Real Madrid for the 28-year-old defender.