Europa League draw: Manchester United cannot afford slip-ups against AZ Alkmaar, Astana and Partizan Belgrade

The best Solskjaer could have hoped for was a simple schedule, so seeing Astana come out of the pot would have been particularly galling with the prospect a 6,000-mile round trip from Manchester to the Kazakhstani capital

For Manchester United, the Europa League served up the kind of draw which will either provide easy fare for their raft of internationals or the stick which beats Ole Gunnar Solskjaer out the door.

If that sounds dramatic then consider where United are right now. Since that wild night in Paris on 6 March, Solskjaer’s team have won just three competitive matches and only one of their past nine games. This is a global club with world-class talent playing largely forgettable football, bar that goldrush of a second half against Chelsea on the opening weekend, and even the deep reserves of goodwill for Solskjaer will eventually run dry if their form continues.

Herein lies the problem with a club the size of United throwing their weight around the Europa League, beyond the obvious disruption to their Premier League rhythms. There is almost nothing to gain. Thrash Astana, Partizan Belgrade and AZ Alkmaar as they should and they will look like a bully in the playground; lose and they will be humiliated.

The best Solskjaer could have hoped for was a simple schedule, so seeing Astana come out of the pot would have been particularly galling with the prospect a 6,000-mile round trip from Manchester to the Kazakhstani capital. The Kazakh Premier League champions boast the top scorer in Europa League qualifying – Croatian striker Marin Tomasov with seven goals – but have little in the way of European pedigree.

Belgrade is a slightly more comfortable trip than Astana but Partizan should prove stiffer opposition, and will have a familiar face to knowledgable United fans in former midfielder Zoran Tosic.

Alkmaar is at least just a jaunt across the channel, although exactly where the game will be played is still uncertain after a stand at the club’s Afas Stadion recently collapsed under the weight of some solar panels, rendering the stadium unsafe to use. Despite that incident, AZ have made a promising start to the Eredevisie season, unbeaten in three games under new manager Arne Slot and without a goal conceded behind defensive lynchpin Ron Vlaar.

There are plenty of potential pitfalls for United, but if they avoid them then the Europa League could provide a good opportunity to breed confidence through the side and hand valuable experience to emerging talents like Mason Greenwood. The reality is that they should breeze through the group stage, and for Solskjaer, that fact is both a blessing and a curse.