Jose Mourinho seems to be on borrowed time after a series of unimpressive results and his position at Manchester United is far from secured.
Although the Red Devils gave their fans a glimmer of hope with back-to-back wins over Burnley and Watford, their campaign has faltered once again with lacklustre performances. A penalty shootout exit from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Derby County was followed by a 3-1 humiliation at the hands of West Ham United in the Premier League.
They capped off their poor run of form with a rather dull and boring drawn encounter against Valencia in the Champions League.
Time will be running out for the manager if the Red Devils do not get themselves back to winning ways when they play host to Newcastle United on Saturday.
Mourinho will be without the services of Jesse Lingard, Ashley Young, Ander Herrera and Marcos Rojo, all of whom are yet to fully recover from their respective injuries. Reserve goalkeeper Sergio Romero will be serving his suspension following the red card he picked up in the Carabao Cup.
Apart from these absentees, the boss will have his entire squad of players to choose from.
The Spaniard has been United’s best performer of the season by a long margin and has provided that sense of reliability at the back.
He was exposed numerous times in the Champions League but United do not have many choices to replace him as Ashley Young is not fit.
He has been the leader of a backline that has been in sixes and sevens more often than not and he should be at the top of his game on Saturday.
A much-improved display in the Champions League should earn him a start ahead of Victor Lindelof.
He has done a decent job both in terms of the attack and the defence and he must aim to continue his good run of form.
The Serbian has excelled in his role of shielding the rearguard and will have his work cut out at the weekend.
The Belgian has used his physicality and passing to good effect in the midfield and has always been a threat with his aerial ability.
The Frenchman has performed poorly in the last few games but he remains the key man in the midfield for the Red Devils.
The Frenchman had a couple of impressive outings in the Carabao Cup and showed a lot of endeavour in the Premier League last week. He should replace Alexis Sanchez, who has been in dreadful form lately.
He looked lively and energetic in the final third against Valencia and should retain his place in the XI.
The Belgian hasn’t been consistent enough but worked tirelessly in the Champions League and tested the goalkeeper on a couple of occasions. He should be at his best to deliver the goods on Saturday.