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Ruben Amorim's tenure at the Red Devils was widely regarded as a major disappointment. Statistically speaking, his performance is remarkable for all the negative reasons. Throughout the modern top-flight period, not a single Man Utd boss has recorded fewer points per game, or managed a league finish as poor as the 15th spot. Examining the archives, you have to go back to Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a manager at the club who was defeated in a higher percentage of matches. Moreover, he notoriously secured a place in United's annals by experiencing a final loss to Spurs, namely the current iteration of the North London club.

The game, though, is seldom so black and white. Despite the criticism of his favored system, Amorim leaves behind a club in a much stronger state than the one he found. Months ago, following a victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, Welbeck relayed that fellow players were lauding their opponents as the finest side they had encountered in a while. The play in a exhilarating 4-4 draw with AFC Bournemouth was equally encouraging and thrilling.

Even though it is hard to contest the termination—particularly given it was reportedly sparked by his comments about bosses with more miserable track records—Amorim's demise was in the end hindered by awful fortune. If injuries to crucial personnel not happened at the same time as the unavailability of other essential individuals, he may still be in the job—possibly even.

A New Era Begins

As a result, Darren Fletcher inherits a relatively solid situation. Star players like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are back to fitness, while Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will shortly rejoin from the Africa Cup of Nations. Simply prudent management of this gifted roster should be adequate to guarantee a fifth-place finish and, with it, European football for the following term—most likely in the elite UEFA Champions League.

Burnley's Formidable Test

Burnley, however, will not be a pushover. Even with boasting only a dozen points and suffering defeats in three of their previous five outings, their performances have frequently been stronger than the outcomes show. Boss Scott Parker will surely have his squad fired up to take the game to United who are set to play an XI that has never played together, arranged in a formation they have gone without for a year or more.

Kick-off: 8:15 in the evening GMT.