Things don’t get easier for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he could be without some key players for the trip to Watford, who themselves could do with a win here at Vicarage Road.
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Paul Pogba limps away from France training with injury
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s bid to keep his Manchester United manager’s job continues on Saturday with a trip to Vicarage Road to face Watford in the Premier League.
Claudio Ranieri is in the opposing dugout and he could also do with a win after losing three of his first four matches in charge of The Hornets, as his side look to climb up the table and away from the relegation zone.
United are currently 6th and five points off the top four after their 2-0 defeat in the Manchester derby last time out.
Watford are in 17th and two points above the drop zone, with their last outing being a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal.
The last meeting between the two was an FA Cup Third Round fixture back in January, when Watford were in the Championship, and Scott McTominay scored the only goal of the game at Old Trafford to send United through to the next round.
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Team news
Scott McTominay was sent home early from Scotland international duty due to illness, while Luke Shaw failed to report to the England camp following concussion, yet Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope to have both available for this match.
However, the same cannot be said for Paul Pogba who could be ruled out until next year with a thigh injury he picked up whilst away with France last week.
Edinson Cavani is being monitored for a tendon injury and could still be a doubt for the fixture, while Raphael Varane (thigh) remains out until December.
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AFP via Getty Images)
Watford could also be missing up to four players through various injuries, but Juraj Kucka will definitely be unavailable through suspension after being sent off in the last fixture against Arsenal.
Christian Kabasele (thigh) has stepped up his recovery but this game may come too soon for him, while Ken Sema (knee) and Kwadwo Bahh (ankle) join Peter Etebo (thigh) on the long-term injury list.
Form
Watford last five (all comps): LLWLL
Man United last five (all comps): WLWDL
Injuries
Watford: Etebo (thigh), Kabasele (thigh), Sema (knee), Baah (ankle)
Man United: Varane (thigh), Pogba (thigh), McTominay (illness), Cavani (tendon), Shaw (concussion)
Solskjaer latest
Nearly a month on from thatLiverpool defeat, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still hanging on to his job yet the pressure continues to mount.
Solskjaer was given ‘three games to save his job’ after the Liverpool embarrassment, which has produced a win, a draw and a loss against Tottenham Hotspur, Atalanta and Manchester City, respectively.
The board have said they back the Norwegian and that his job isn’t under threat, but with reports heavily linking Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers to the role, you feel that failing to beat Watford could very well spell the end of Solskjaer’s reign.
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Pressure on Ranieri
After six weeks and four games in charge, you’d never expect a manager’s job to be under pressure so soon into their new reign, yet everyone knows things work differently at Watford.
The Hornets sacked Xisco Munoz just seven matches into the Premier League season, despite them sitting 15th – after three defeats from four, Ranieri’s side sit 17th.
Granted, Ranieri has had to face Liverpool and Arsenal in two of his first four games in charge, but the next four are against Man United, Leicester, Chelsea and Man City.
It’s very possible that by this time next month, Watford could’ve lost seven of their first eight games under Ranieri.
The Italian has overseen some improvements, but can’t be too careful, especially with Watford’s reputation.
