Manchester United will begin life without Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm with a crucial Champions League encounter against Villarreal.

The Norwegian was sacked after an embarrassing 4-1 defeat against Watford, putting to an end a polarising and highly-disputed managerial reign.

A loss for the Red Devils would potentially place them outside of the top two places in Group F heading into the final matchday, while a win could potentially guarantee knockout qualification.

Michael Carrick will be on the touchline while United search for a new head coach, and he will be unlikely to tinker significantly with the squad.

Raphael Varane, Mason Greenwood, Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani all remain unavailable for selection for the game.

David De Gea should continue in goal while Eric Bailly could come in to face his former side in place of Victor Lindelof. Alex Telles could also come in for Luke Shaw at left-back after the latter suffered a concussion in the Watford defeat.

Harry Maguire was sent off in the Watford humiliation but should start and captain the side again here, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka likely to complete the back four.

Fred could come in for Nemanja Matic to play at the base of midfield alongside Scott McTominay, with Bruno Fernandes just ahead of them operating in the No.10 role.

With Greenwood out due to a positive COVID-19 test, Jadon Sancho should be given another opportunity to silence the doubters early in his Man Utd career.

Joining Sancho in the attack is likely to be Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter scored goals in the last 10 minutes of each of the last three Champions League matches, handing United an extra seven points in the process.

Manchester United starting XI versus Villarreal