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Ruben Amorim's tenure at the Red Devils has been labeled a major letdown. By any measure, his results is notable for all the negative causes. In the contemporary football age, no United manager has managed a lower points average, or managed a league finish as disappointing as 15th in the table. Looking deeper into history, you have to go back to the manager Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a Red Devils' gaffer who lost a larger share of matches. Moreover, he notoriously carved a niche in club lore by experiencing a loss in a final to Spurs, specifically Postecoglou's version of Tottenham.

Life, though, is rarely so straightforward. Regardless of the criticism of his favored system, he leaves behind a team in a significantly improved condition than the one he inherited. In a prior match this term, following a victory over Brighton, Welbeck shared that his colleagues were lauding their opponents as the most impressive opposition they had played against in a while. The football in a thrilling four-all stalemate with Bournemouth was both encouraging and thrilling.

Even though it is hard to dispute the decision to sack him—particularly given it was allegedly caused by his criticism of executives with even worse track records—Amorim's demise was in the end stymied by terrible luck. Had injuries to crucial players not happened at the same time as the absence of other important figures, he could remain in the role—perhaps even.

Fresh Start for United

Consequently, Fletcher inherits a fairly solid scenario. Star players like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are back to fitness, while Diallo and Mbeumo will soon rejoin from the Africa Cup of Nations. Merely careful management of this talented roster should be adequate to secure a finish in the European spots and, with it, European football for the following term—most likely in the elite European Cup.

Burnley's Formidable Test

The home side, though, are unlikely to make things easy. Even with having only twelve points and suffering defeats in three of their last five games, their performances have frequently been more impressive than the scorelines show. Boss Parker will undoubtedly have his squad fired up to attack United who are set to play an lineup that has never played together, deployed in a formation they have gone without for a year or more.

Match begins: 8:15 in the evening GMT.