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Ruben Amorim's tenure at Manchester United was widely regarded as a major failure. Looking at the numbers, his record is remarkable for all the poor reasons. During the modern top-flight period, no boss at the club has managed fewer points per game, nor achieved a standing as disappointing as the 15th spot. Looking deeper into history, you have to revisit the manager Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a United boss who lost a larger share of fixtures. Moreover, he infamously etched his name in United's annals by experiencing a cup final defeat to Spurs, namely Ange Postecoglou's iteration of Tottenham.

Life, but, is seldom so black and white. In spite of the scrutiny of his favored system, the Portuguese manager leaves behind a squad in a far better condition than that which he inherited. In a prior match this term, following a win against Brighton, Welbeck reported that his colleagues were praising United as the most impressive team they had played against in some time. Their football in a exhilarating four-all stalemate with Bournemouth was both hopeful and exhilarating.

Even though it is hard to dispute the decision to sack him—particularly given it was reportedly sparked by his remarks regarding superiors with poorer track records—Amorim's demise was ultimately hampered by terrible luck. If the absence of key stars not occurred alongside the loss of other important figures, he might remain in the job—perhaps succeeding.

A New Era Begins

Therefore, Fletcher takes over a relatively stable state of affairs. Important figures like Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are now fit, while Diallo and Mbeumo will in the near future rejoin from the Africa Cup of Nations. Merely prudent husbandry of this gifted squad should be sufficient to secure a fifth-place finish and, with it, continental football for next season—in all likelihood in the coveted UEFA Champions League.

The Clarets' Formidable Test

Vincent Kompany's team, but, won't roll over. Although having only 12 points and losing three of their previous five matches, their displays have frequently been more impressive than the scorelines indicate. Boss Parker will certainly have his side pumped up to take the game to the visitors who are expected to field an XI that has never played together, deployed in a formation they have gone without for a year or more.

Start time: 20:15 GMT.