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Ruben Amorim's tenure at Old Trafford was widely regarded as a significant disappointment. By any measure, his performance is remarkable for all the negative factors. During the contemporary football age, not a single Man Utd boss has achieved fewer points per game, nor managed a league finish as disappointing as the 15th spot. Examining the archives, you have to revisit the manager Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a manager at the club who lost a higher percentage of matches. Furthermore, he notoriously carved a niche in United's annals by suffering a cup final defeat to Spurs, specifically the current version of Tottenham.

Life, though, is seldom that simple. Despite the scrutiny of his favored system, the Portuguese manager leaves behind a squad in a far better position than the one he took over. In a prior match this term, following a defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion, Welbeck shared that teammates were lauding United as the best opposition they had played against in a long time. Their performance in a breathtaking four-all stalemate with Bournemouth was both encouraging and exciting.

While it is tough to argue against the dismissal—especially given it was allegedly caused by his criticism of bosses with even worse records—Amorim's exit was in the end stymied by terrible fortune. If the absence of vital players not occurred alongside the unavailability of other pivotal individuals, he could remain in the job—maybe thriving.

Fresh Start for United

Therefore, Darren Fletcher takes over a relatively stable scenario. Star players like Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are back to fitness, while Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will shortly be back from the African tournament. Just prudent husbandry of this gifted squad should be sufficient to guarantee a top-five finish and, with it, European football for next season—probably in the prestigious Champions League.

Burnley's Tough Test

Burnley, however, won't be a pushover. Despite boasting only a dozen points and suffering defeats in 3 of their previous five outings, their displays have often been stronger than the results indicate. Head coach Scott Parker will undoubtedly have his team revved up to get after the visitors who are likely to field an XI that has not had time to gel, arranged in a formation they have been denied for more than a year.

Start time: 8.15pm GMT.