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Ruben Amorim's time at the Red Devils is considered by many to have been a significant failure. Looking at the numbers, his performance is remarkable for all the negative factors. Throughout the Premier League era, no boss at the club has managed fewer points per game, or secured a final position as poor as the 15th spot. Looking deeper into history, you have to revisit the manager 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 famously carved a niche in the team's history by experiencing a cup final defeat to Spurs, namely Postecoglou's side of Spurs.

Football, however, is rarely that simple. Despite the negative press of his favored system, the Portuguese manager departs from a squad in a far better state than the one he found. In a prior match this term, following a victory over Brighton, Welbeck relayed that teammates were lauding United as the best team they had encountered in a long time. Their play in a breathtaking 4-4 draw with AFC Bournemouth was equally encouraging and thrilling.

Even though it is difficult to contest the decision to sack him—especially given it was said to be sparked by his comments about executives with more miserable records—Amorim's downfall was in the end hampered by awful fortune. If the absence of crucial personnel not happened at the same time as the unavailability of other important individuals, he could still be in the position—perhaps succeeding.

A New Era Begins

Therefore, the interim boss Fletcher takes over a relatively stable scenario. Star players like Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Kobbie Mainoo are now fit, while Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will in the near future return from the African tournament. Merely sensible stewardship of this talented group is expected to be sufficient to ensure a fifth-place finish and, with it, continental football for the coming campaign—most likely in the elite UEFA Champions League.

Burnley's Formidable Challenge

The home side, though, won't be a pushover. Even with having only 12 points and having lost three of their previous five games, their performances have at times been better than the scorelines suggest. Boss Scott Parker will certainly have his team pumped up to get after United who are set to field an starting eleven that has lacked cohesion, arranged in a formation they have not used for a year or more.

Start time: 20:15 GMT.