Why the Watford game is a must win for Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Manchester United recently announced that Solskjaer has been promoted to the post of full-time manager at the club on a three-year contract. He was initially appointed as caretaker manager back in December after the sacking of Jose Mourinho and went on to win eight out of his first eight games in charge.
The Norwegian later made history for the club when United became the first team in the history of the Champions League to progress through a knockout stage tie after losing 2-0 at home in the first leg. The 3-1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain is arguably the club's greatest moment since they last won the Premier League under Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2013 – showing just how far the club has fallen in recent years.
For many, Solskjaer was a shoo-in for the permanent managerial role, given just how quickly he was able to turn things around at Old Trafford.
News of Solskjaer's appointment has been greeted with enthusiasm from across the football world, with fans and pundits alike praising the board for making the right decision.
However, it seems that everyone is forgetting that United were in a pretty bad stretch of form heading into the international break. Indeed, the Red Devils suffered back-to-back defeats after the victory in Paris, losing 2-0 to Arsenal in the Premier League and then 2-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers, crashing them out of the FA Cup.
Appointing Solskjaer right after two abysmal losses seems a little premature – especially since his side have yet another tough opponent up next: Javi Garcia's Watford.
The new permanent Manchester United manager will want to get off to a winning start on Saturday in front of the Old Trafford crowd, who will no doubt be singing his name for the whole 90 minutes.
But the pressure to get all three points against the Hornets could get to Solskjaer's men, and since United have historically struggled to break some of the lesser sides down at home, this game could easily see them get another poor result.
Should they manage only a point or even worse against Watford, there will be question marks over the board's decision to appoint Solskjaer now instead of waiting until the end of the season.