🔗 Share this article

Ruben Amorim's time at the Red Devils was widely regarded as a significant letdown. Looking at the numbers, his performance is notable for all the negative factors. During the contemporary football age, not a single Man Utd boss has achieved a worse points return, nor secured a standing as poor as 15th place. Delving further back, you have to return to Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a United boss who was defeated in a larger share of games. Furthermore, he famously carved a niche in club lore by experiencing a final loss to Tottenham Hotspur, specifically Postecoglou's side of Tottenham.

Life, however, is not often so straightforward. In spite of the criticism of his tactical approach, Amorim departs from a team in a significantly improved position than the one he took over. Months ago, following a victory over Brighton, Danny Welbeck relayed that teammates were lauding United as the finest opposition they had encountered in a while. The performance in a thrilling high-scoring tie with AFC Bournemouth was equally promising and exciting.

Even though it is difficult to dispute the termination—especially given it was said to be caused by his remarks regarding executives with poorer histories—his demise was in the end hampered by awful luck. Had injuries to key stars not occurred alongside the absence of other pivotal individuals, he might remain in the position—possibly thriving.

Fletcher Takes the Reins

As a result, the interim boss Fletcher takes over a relatively stable situation. Important players like Mount, Fernandes, and Mainoo are back to fitness, while Diallo and Mbeumo will soon rejoin from the Afcon. Merely prudent stewardship of this talented squad should be sufficient to guarantee a top-five finish and, with it, European football for the coming campaign—most likely in the prestigious European Cup.

Burnley's Daunting Task

Burnley, though, won't make things easy. Even with having only twelve points and suffering defeats in 3 of their last five matches, their displays have often been more impressive than the scorelines show. Head coach Parker will certainly have his side revved up to attack United who are likely to field an lineup that has never played together, deployed in a setup they have been denied for more than a year.

Kick-off: 8:15 in the evening GMT.