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Ruben Amorim's spell at Manchester United has been labeled a notable letdown. Looking at the numbers, his performance is remarkable for all the wrong factors. In the modern top-flight period, no United manager has managed a lower points average, or managed a league finish 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 Red Devils' gaffer who lost a larger share of matches. Furthermore, he infamously etched his name in United's annals by suffering a final loss to Spurs, particularly the current iteration of the North London club.

The game, however, is not often so straightforward. In spite of the scrutiny of his tactical approach, Amorim exits a squad in a much stronger position than that which he found. Months ago, following a defeat of Brighton, Welbeck relayed that teammates were praising United as the finest side they had played against in a while. Their football in a thrilling high-scoring tie with Bournemouth was both encouraging and exciting.

While it is tough to argue against the decision to sack him—particularly given it was reportedly triggered by his remarks regarding executives with poorer track records—his downfall was in the end stymied by terrible fortune. If fitness issues for vital personnel not happened at the same time as the loss of other pivotal individuals, he might still be in the role—possibly succeeding.

A New Era Begins

As a result, Darren Fletcher steps into a fairly stable state of affairs. Key figures like Mount, Fernandes, and Kobbie Mainoo are available again, while Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will in the near future rejoin from the Africa Cup of Nations. Simply careful management of this talented roster ought to be sufficient to ensure a finish in the European spots and, with it, European football for next season—most likely in the elite European Cup.

Burnley's Formidable Challenge

Vincent Kompany's team, but, are unlikely to make things easy. Despite having only a dozen points and losing three of their last five games, their showings have frequently been more impressive than the scorelines indicate. Boss Parker will undoubtedly have his squad fired up to get after the visitors who are set to start an XI that has lacked cohesion, deployed in a formation they have not used for more than a year.

Start time: 8.15pm GMT.