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Ruben Amorim's time at Old Trafford has been labeled a notable letdown. Looking at the numbers, his performance is remarkable for all the wrong reasons. In the contemporary football age, no United manager has achieved fewer points per game, or achieved a league finish as disappointing as 15th in the table. Delving further back, you have to return to Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a manager at the club who was defeated in a greater proportion of games. Moreover, he infamously etched his name in United's annals by enduring a cup final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, namely Postecoglou's version of Spurs.

The game, however, is rarely that simple. Despite the scrutiny of his favored system, the Portuguese manager departs from a team in a much stronger condition than that which he found. Earlier this season, following a victory over Brighton, the striker Welbeck relayed that his colleagues were hailing their opponents as the most impressive opposition they had played against in a long time. The football in a breathtaking four-all stalemate with Bournemouth was both promising and thrilling.

Although it is hard to contest the dismissal—particularly given it was said to be triggered by his criticism of bosses with poorer records—his exit was finally stymied by terrible fortune. Had injuries to vital personnel not occurred alongside the unavailability of other essential members, he could still be in the role—perhaps even.

A New Era Begins

As a result, Darren Fletcher steps into a reasonably stable situation. Star figures like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Kobbie Mainoo are available again, while Diallo and Mbeumo will soon return from the African tournament. Simply careful management of this gifted squad ought to be enough to ensure a finish in the European spots and, with it, continental competition for the coming campaign—probably in the elite European Cup.

Burnley's Tough Task

Vincent Kompany's team, but, are unlikely to make things easy. Even with boasting only 12 points and having lost 3 of their most recent five outings, their displays have frequently been more impressive than the scorelines indicate. Head coach Scott Parker will certainly have his team fired up to take the game to opponents who are expected to start an XI that has lacked cohesion, set up in a formation they have been denied for a year or more.

Start time: 20:15 GMT.