Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford have spoken to Manchester United team-mates about handling racist abuse against Partizan Belgrade after sharing their 'sickening' Bulgaria experiences
* Manchester United players have discussed options if they're racially abused
* United face Partizan Belgrade after England players were abused in Bulgaria
* Partizan have played last two games behind closed doors after racist chanting
* Fans will return for the visit of United in the Europa League on Thursday night
Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford have spoken to their Manchester United team-mates about how to respond to racist abuse from Partizan Belgrade fans after both players were involved in 'sickening' scenes on England duty in Bulgaria.
The United players are ready to follow UEFA's three-step protocol and walk off the pitch in Serbia if there is a repeat of the abuse faced by Turkish club Malatyaspor here in August.
UEFA punished Partizan by forcing them to play their next two home European games – against Molde and AZ Alkmaar – behind closed doors but they will be back on Thursday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Man United have discussed options if they encounter racist chants. Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford have spoken to team-mates about handling abuse
Rashford and several other England players were racially abused against Bulgaria
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed that United have discussed the threat of racist abuse, with England internationals Maguire and Rashford sharing their first-hand experiences from the Bulgaria game in Sofia last week.
'In the aftermath of what happened in Bulgaria, we had a meeting with the boys and we've gone through the protocol,' said Solskjaer.
'We've spoken in general on subjects but, of course, Harry and Marcus who were in Bulgaria, they were freer to talk about the atmosphere, how it was, what we can expect and what's the worst cast scenario.
'But I believe in the good in people and I'm sure the atmosphere here will be fantastic. We'll try and keep them quiet by playing good football. We trust UEFA and hopefully it's a celebration of good football.'
The 30,000-capacity stadium is sold out for United's first appearance in Serbia since 1966, and second since the Munich Air Disaster as they returned home from a European Cup quarter-final against Red Star Belgrade eight years earlier.
The Football Against Racism in Europe network, who operate with UEFA to report incidents of discrimination, are on high alert for the game. They provided a higher number of spotters for England's game in Bulgaria and could do so again.
Maguire sat next to Solskjaer on Wednesday and for the second week running found himself discussing the threat of racism.
He said: 'We will trust UEFA to follow their protocol with the three steps. Obviously Sofia was a sickening atmosphere, and it is something I don't want to be part of again.
'We're positive tomorrow [Thursday] night will be a great atmosphere, one we're all looking forward to playing in.
'If something does goes off then we'll follow the three-step protocol and I'm sure there will be people on and off the pitch doing their bit to make things better for the future.'
Partizan have appealed to their fans to behave to avoid any further punishment from UEFA. An additional problem for the Serbian club is that three separate factions of their supporters — The Gravediggers, The Forbidden and The South Stand — have been fighting among themselves for some time.
A club statement read: 'Cheerfully and sportily, without discriminatory, chauvinistic, fascist or other outbursts, do not chant opponents on a national basis, do not express outbursts of hatred and hatred towards players of the opposing team.
'Any such situation, call or chanting can lead to serious consequences and sanctions by the UEFA Disciplinary Board.'
Their manager, former Aston Villa striker Savo Milosevic, also spoke out about the issue when he appeared before the media on Wednesday.
Milosevic said: 'First of all, I expect everything to be fair and in the spirit of the sport. We know of our supporters, we are aware of the importance of the game and we are also aware of the problems we have had in the past.
'But Thursday will once again be a celebration of football, so I don't expect any problems in that regard. We all know how important the support from the home fans can be.'
United have had problems of their own after handing an indefinite ban to a supporter who was thrown out of Old Trafford for racially abusing Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold on Sunday.
'I'm happy the club have identified, what do you want to call him,' said Solskjaer. 'It's something we feel strongly about and are going to stamp down on as much as we can.'
The United boss has ruled Paul Pogba out of Sunday's trip to Norwich as he recovers from an ankle injury, but said that Luke Shaw and Nemanja Matic will be assessed when they return from warm-weather rehab in Dubai at the end of the week.
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