🔗 Share this article

The former manager's spell at Manchester United has been labeled a major letdown. By any measure, his record stands out for all the poor factors. Throughout the contemporary football age, no United manager has recorded a lower points average, nor managed a standing as low as 15th in the table. Delving further back, you have to go back to the manager Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a United boss who was defeated in a higher percentage of matches. Moreover, he notoriously etched his name in United's annals by experiencing a final loss to Tottenham Hotspur, namely Ange Postecoglou's side of the North London club.

Life, though, is rarely so straightforward. Regardless of the negative press of his 3-4-2-1 formation, Amorim exits a club in a far better position than the one he found. Months ago, following a victory over Brighton, the striker Welbeck shared that fellow players were praising their opponents as the best side they had played against in a while. Their football in a breathtaking four-all stalemate with Bournemouth was both promising and thrilling.

While it is tough to dispute the dismissal—especially given it was allegedly sparked by his criticism of bosses with more miserable records—Amorim's demise was in the end hampered by terrible luck. Had the absence of vital personnel not occurred alongside the absence of other important figures, he could remain in the job—possibly succeeding.

Fletcher Takes the Reins

Therefore, Fletcher inherits a relatively stable state of affairs. Important players like Mount, Fernandes, and Kobbie Mainoo are now fit, while Diallo and Mbeumo will soon rejoin from the African tournament. Simply prudent stewardship of this gifted group should be enough to secure a fifth-place finish and, with it, continental football for the following term—in all likelihood in the elite UEFA Champions League.

Burnley's Daunting Task

Burnley, though, are unlikely to make things easy. Even with having only twelve points and having lost three of their previous five matches, their displays have often been stronger than the outcomes show. Boss Parker will undoubtedly have his team pumped up to take the game to the visitors who are set to start an lineup that has not had time to gel, set up in a formation they have not used for over a year.

Match begins: 20:15 GMT.