Will Ronaldo make his debut against Newcastle on Saturday?

Cristiano Ronaldo could be in line to make his second Manchester United debut when the Red Devils host Newcastle United this weekend.

Steve Bruce’s men travel to Old Trafford on Saturday and the former United centre-back will be the first Premier League manager this season to concoct a plan to try and stop the Portuguese goal machine.

But will Ronaldo be ready in time to start against Newcastle and what can the home supporters expect at the Theatre of Dreams this weekend?

What time is the match and is it on TV?

Saturday’s game kicks off at 3pm, meaning it will not be broadcast live in the UK. To watch Ronaldo live in the flesh for the first time since rejoining United, supporters will have to wait until Tuesday when the Red Devils take on Young Boys in the Champions League.

Is he fit?

This may seem a stupid question to ask about a man who looks like he’s sculpted out of bronze, but Ronaldo has only played one 90-minute match in the last two months.

That outing did come last week when the United forward scored his 111th international goal to set a new world record, but he only played half an hour for Juventus this season before making the switch to Old Trafford.

So even for someone as meticulous as Ronaldo, not having minutes in the tank means he can’t be 100% match fit, which won’t help his cause to start against the Magpies.

Has he trained with the squad yet?

At the time of writing, no training footage has been released by United, although they did post on Friday to reveal that Ronaldo had travelled back to Manchester.

The striker had, of course, been away with Portugal on international duty, but as a yellow card he picked up against the Republic of Ireland ruled him out of the upcoming qualifier, he was granted permission to return early to United.

It means that the summer signing will have a week to get reacquainted with his familiar surroundings, get some training into his legs and get to grips with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tactics, before the big game on Saturday.

Who could start instead?

Whether Ronaldo is deemed match fit or not, Solskjaer opted to slowly ease fellow summer signings Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho into the picture during August.

Admittedly, Ronaldo is an entirely different beast, but should Solskjaer go for the same approach then the former Real Madrid man could begin Saturday’s encounter on the bench.

In that case, Solskjaer would most likely start Edinson Cavani up front, with Anthony Martial or Mason Greenwood also options in the central role.

Another factor is the fitness of Sancho, who was sent home early from international duty with a knock but is expected to have recovered in time for Saturday.

Our writer’s view

Everything about this transfer has been romanticised, with a former United Champions League final match winner, signing another scorer in said game from yesteryear, all aided by the club’s parade of former heroes, from Sir Alex Ferguson to Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra.

So of course, Solskjaer will start him!

With Ronaldo, you can also be pretty sure he’ll find the back of the net, especially against a Newcastle side who have already shipped eight league goals this season.