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Ruben Amorim's spell at Old Trafford is considered by many to have been a major failure. By any measure, his performance is remarkable for all the negative factors. In the Premier League era, no United manager has achieved a worse points return, or secured a league finish as disappointing as 15th place. Delving further back, you have to go back to the manager Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a manager at the club who lost a higher percentage of fixtures. Moreover, he notoriously carved a niche in United's annals by enduring a cup final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, specifically Postecoglou's version of Spurs.

The game, though, is not often that simple. Despite the negative press of his tactical approach, the Portuguese manager leaves behind a club in a significantly improved state than the one he took over. Earlier this season, following a win against Brighton, Welbeck shared that teammates were hailing their opponents as the most impressive opposition they had played against in a long time. The play in a breathtaking 4-4 draw with Bournemouth was both encouraging and exciting.

While it is hard to dispute the dismissal—especially given it was said to be caused by his remarks regarding superiors with poorer track records—his downfall was finally stymied by awful luck. If the absence of crucial personnel not happened at the same time as the unavailability of other pivotal individuals, he might still be in the job—perhaps succeeding.

A New Era Begins

As a result, Darren Fletcher steps into a relatively positive scenario. Key figures like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Kobbie Mainoo are back to fitness, while Diallo and Mbeumo will soon be back from the Afcon. Merely sensible management of this gifted group is expected to be sufficient to guarantee a top-five finish and, with it, continental football for next season—in all likelihood in the prestigious UEFA Champions League.

Burnley's Formidable Challenge

Burnley, but, won't roll over. Even with boasting only a dozen points and losing three of their last five matches, their displays have often been stronger than the scorelines suggest. Manager Parker will certainly have his side revved up to take the game to the visitors who are set to field an XI that has lacked cohesion, set up in a system they have gone without for over a year.

Kick-off: 20:15 GMT.