Five wins since March is relegation form, so Man Utd must beat Newcastle by any means necessary or pressure on Solskjaer could prove too much

IT’S a trip to the North East and Newcastle United for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United on Sunday, in what is a must-win match for both teams.

Having won only twice this season in the league, the storm clouds are gathering over Old Trafford once again, and when that happens, it generally ends with the manager losing his job.

The stats don’t lie this season and neither do the increasing levels of pressure and scrutiny on the Norwegian.

Five wins in all competitions since that famous victory against Paris-Saint Germain in the Champions League in March, is relegation form.

And Solskjaer’s status as a club legend will only buy him so much time.

I’ve tweeted and written several times in this very column, that I, and so many other United fans, support Solskjaer and hope he makes a success of things.

The question is this though; is he getting the best out of what he has?

The game against Arsenal on Monday evening would never go down as a guaranteed three points.

The away game against Newcastle, probably the worst team in the Premier League, should.

The matches this week, a 1-1 draw in the Premier League against Arsenal followed by a 0-0 draw against AZ Alkmaar have highlighted the issues.

United ambled through against Arsenal but in Holland didn’t manage one strike on target, and it’s sadly where United are, a mid-table side hoping to make the Europa League.

Solskjaer’s post-match comments haven’t helped him either, and although they might have been designed to protect his young squad, there’s not many supporters out there that believe United put in a “good performance” in Holland.

It’s Newcastle this afternoon and a chance for former captain Steve Bruce to put another nail in Solskjaer’s coffin.

Bruce a courageous player who led by example, ironically, is everything Solskjaer’s United is missing.

United’s haul of nine points after seven games is their worst tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1989.

And if they don’t beat the Magpies would remain winless in eight consecutive top-flight away fixtures for the first time since a run of 11 from February to September in the same year.

But that shouldn’t happen because United face a team that has only won one of their last six Premier League home games, plus, Bruce’s record against his old club isn’t great either.

In a total of 21 matches against Manchester United as a manager, he’s yet to win, and it’s the longest winless run any manager has endured against a single opponent in Premier League history.

Can you imagine the uproar if he fails to get three points on Sunday afternoon?

United supporters and pundits talk about attacking football and playing in an entertaining way.

On Sunday, the most important thing is three points, and United will take it however they can get it.