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Ruben Amorim's spell at the Red Devils was widely regarded as a major letdown. Looking at the numbers, his performance is notable for all the wrong reasons. In the contemporary football age, no United manager has recorded a worse points return, or secured a final position as poor as 15th in the table. Delving further back, you have to return to Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a Red Devils' gaffer who lost a greater proportion of matches. Moreover, he notoriously carved a niche in the team's history by suffering a final loss to Tottenham, namely Ange Postecoglou's version of Tottenham.

The game, though, is not often that simple. Despite the scrutiny of his tactical approach, he exits a squad in a significantly improved position than that which he took over. In a prior match this term, following a win against Brighton, Welbeck reported that his colleagues were lauding their opponents as the best side they had encountered in a long time. Their performance in a breathtaking high-scoring tie with Bournemouth was both promising and exciting.

While it is difficult to dispute the decision to sack him—especially given it was said to be sparked by his criticism of superiors with even worse track records—Amorim's downfall was ultimately hampered by atrocious luck. If injuries to key stars not happened at the same time as the absence of other essential members, he may remain in the position—possibly thriving.

A New Era Begins

Therefore, Darren Fletcher takes over a relatively stable state of affairs. Key figures like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are now fit, while Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will in the near future return from the African tournament. Just careful management of this talented squad ought to be enough to secure a finish in the European spots and, with it, European football for next season—in all likelihood in the coveted European Cup.

The Clarets' Formidable Task

Vincent Kompany's team, however, won't roll over. Even with boasting only twelve points and suffering defeats in 3 of their most recent five outings, their performances have at times been stronger than the results indicate. Head coach Scott Parker will undoubtedly have his squad pumped up to attack United who are set to field an lineup that has never played together, deployed in a system they have gone without for more than a year.

Start time: 8:15 in the evening GMT.