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The former manager's spell at the Red Devils is considered by many to have been a major failure. By any measure, his record is notable for all the wrong factors. In the contemporary football age, not a single Man Utd boss has achieved fewer points per game, nor achieved a final position as poor as the 15th spot. Examining the archives, 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 notoriously carved a niche in United's annals by suffering a loss in a final to Tottenham, particularly the current iteration of the North London club.

Football, though, is rarely that simple. In spite of the criticism of his favored system, he departs from a team in a significantly improved condition than the one he found. Earlier this season, following a defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion, the striker Welbeck relayed that teammates were hailing United as the most impressive team they had played against in a while. Their football in a exhilarating 4-4 draw with Bournemouth was equally promising and exciting.

While it is tough to argue against the dismissal—especially given it was said to be caused by his criticism of bosses with more miserable histories—Amorim's demise was ultimately hampered by atrocious luck. Had injuries to crucial players not occurred alongside the unavailability of other pivotal figures, he could still be in the position—possibly succeeding.

Fletcher Takes the Reins

As a result, Fletcher steps into a fairly stable state of affairs. Key figures like Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are now fit, while Diallo and Mbeumo will in the near future be back from the African tournament. Merely sensible stewardship of this gifted squad should be enough to guarantee a top-five finish and, with it, continental football for the coming campaign—most likely in the elite European Cup.

Burnley's Formidable Test

Burnley, however, won't roll over. Even with boasting only twelve points and losing 3 of their previous five games, their performances have at times been stronger than the results suggest. Boss Parker will certainly have his squad fired up to get after opponents who are expected to play an XI that has not had time to gel, deployed in a system they have not used for more than a year.

Match begins: 20:15 GMT.