Manchester United vs St Etienne - as it happened: Zlatan Ibrahimovic hat-trick clinches victory for the home side

Re-live all the action from United's first-leg last-32 Europa League tie

Ibrahimovic celebrates after handing United the lead (Getty)

It’s a big game for…

Marcus Rashford. The Manchester United youngster has dropped off the scene in recent months, with manager Jose Mourinho placing his faith in the side’s older, more experienced forwards. Numerous reports suggest the player has grown unhappy at the club and is now considering a move away from Old Trafford. In light of such speculation, Rashford would benefit immensely from a confidence-boosting performance on Thursday night. Should he feature, it’s his chance to prove a point.

Remember when…

United hosted Saint-Etienne in Plymouth? The year was 1977 and the Manchester club had been forced to find a neutral venue for their European Cup-Winners’ Cup tie with the French side. United were not allowed to play the second leg within 300km of Manchester after crowd disturbances marred the first leg in France. Officials eventually settled on Home Park, Plymouth - 281 miles from Old Trafford - for the October 1977 clash that former full-back Arthur Albiston recalled as being a "little strange".

Rashford will be out to make a point against the Ligue 1 side should he feature (Getty)

Player to watch…

Florentin Pogba. The Saint-Etienne defender meets his brother Paul in a professional capacity for the first time in their careers - so expect fireworks. While Paul has risen to prominence as the most expensive player in the history of the game, joining Manchester United for a record-breaking £85m last summer, Florentin has settled for a life outside of the limelight, plying his trade with French sides Sedan and Saint-Etienne. Having said he won’t hold back on Thursday night, Florentin will be looking to put his younger brother in his place.

Florentin will be looking to put his younger brother in his place (Getty)

Follow the live action below...

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Form guide…

Manchester United: WWDWL

Saint-Etienne: WLWLW

Key information…

Kick-off: Thursday 16 February, 8.05pm, Old Trafford.

TV: BT Sport 2 (UK only), Fox Sports 1, ESPN3 (US only).

Odds…

Manchester United to win: 31/100

Saint-Etienne to win: 10/1

Draw: 4/1

[16 February 2017 19:01 · Samuel Lovett]

Good evening and welcome to The Independent's coverage of tonight's Europa League last-32 tie between Manchester United and Saint-Etienne. Stay tuned as we bring you all the build-up to this evening's clash.

Team news to follow shortly...

[16 February 2017 19:11 · Samuel Lovett]

 The teams are in...

[16 February 2017 19:26 · Samuel Lovett]

So while most fans will be hoping for a win for their respective teams tonight, there's one person in particular who has set their heart on a draw.

Yep, you guessed it, Paul and Florentin Pogba's mum. The brothers meet for the first time in a professional capacity this evening but their mother Yeo has apparently said she wants a draw.

Jose Mourinho said: "I think mother Pogba is in trouble, which is normal.

Paul Pogba goes head to head with his older brother tonight 

"It is not difficult for the lady to choose, it is impossible. I know from Paul that his mum wants a draw.

"But next week, one son will be happy and another will be sad. But only for their mum is it a problem.

"For them, I think they will enjoy playing against each other. Paul is excited. It is a good thing."

[16 February 2017 19:33 · Samuel Lovett]

Although Mourinho has said that United will continue to "respect" the Europa League, despite clearly not wanting to be a part of the competition, the Portuguese has sounded a warning about his side's congested fixtures schedule.

Indeed, the Portuguese believes that United’s success in cup competitions this season could leave them “in trouble” as their campaign progresses.

Thursday’s Europa League last-32 first leg meeting with Saint-Etienne commences a run of four straight cup fixtures for United, including an EFL Cup final against Southampton at Wembley.

Mourinho has expressed his concerns about United's fixture schedule 

Progression past Blackburn Rovers in Saturday’s FA Cup fifth round tie, meanwhile, would mean Mourinho’s men play just one Premier League fixture in the next month.

The Portuguese is concerned that fighting on all fronts could leave his squad on the back foot in the tight race for a place in top four and consign United to another year in European football’s secondary competition.

[16 February 2017 19:41 · Samuel Lovett]

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been left out of tonight's squad through illness, Mourinho has confirmed. Nonetheless, the side that has been fielded remains a strong one and should be expected to ease past the Ligue 1 visitors tonight.

[16 February 2017 19:54 · Evan Bartlett]

Meanwhile, in Belgium... 

United's Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur have gone down 1-0 in their first leg clash with Belgian side Gent thanks to Jeremy Perbet's strike on the hour. A very disappointing result for Spurs. Can United avoid a similar fate against their French opponents?

[16 February 2017 19:55 · Evan Bartlett]

We're just a few minutes from kick-off...

[16 February 2017 19:58 · Evan Bartlett]

Line-ups

Manchester United: Romero, Valencia, Bailly, Smalling, Blind, Fellaini, Herrera, Mata, Pogba, Martial, Ibrahimovic

Subs: De Gea, Rojo, Lingard, Young, Rashford, Schweinsteiger, Darmian

Saint-Etienne: Ruffier, Theophile-Catherine, Pajot, Saivet, Veretout, Pogba, Hamouma, Monnet-Paquet, Perrin, Malcuit, Jorginho

Subs: Moulin, Lacroix, Roux, Selnaes, Lemoine, Beric, Pierre-Gabriel

[16 February 2017 20:00 · Evan Bartlett]

United are favourites to win the Europa League this season, can they go on and lift the trophy?

[16 February 2017 20:06 · Evan Bartlett]

KICK-OFF

There's a haze of a fog across Old Trafford thanks to an array of flares from the visiting fans.