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The former manager's tenure at Manchester United is considered by many to have been a major disappointment. Looking at the numbers, his record is notable for all the poor reasons. During the contemporary football age, no United manager has recorded a worse points return, or achieved a league finish as low as 15th in the table. Delving further back, you have to revisit the manager Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a United boss who was defeated in a greater proportion of fixtures. Moreover, he infamously carved a niche in United's annals by experiencing a cup final defeat to Spurs, namely Ange Postecoglou's side of the North London club.

Football, though, is rarely so straightforward. In spite of the negative press of his 3-4-2-1 formation, Amorim exits a squad in a far better condition than that which he inherited. In a prior match this term, following a victory over Brighton, Danny Welbeck shared that fellow players were lauding their opponents as the best side they had played against in a long time. Their performance in a exhilarating four-all stalemate with AFC Bournemouth was equally encouraging and exciting.

Even though it is hard to argue against the termination—especially given it was said to be sparked by his criticism of bosses with even worse histories—his downfall was in the end stymied by atrocious luck. Had injuries to crucial players not happened at the same time as the absence of other important individuals, he may still be in the role—possibly succeeding.

Fresh Start for United

As a result, the interim boss Fletcher inherits a relatively positive scenario. Important players like Mount, Fernandes, and Mainoo are back to fitness, while Amad Diallo and Mbeumo will in the near future return from the Afcon. Merely prudent management of this skilled group is expected to be enough to secure a finish in the European spots and, with it, continental competition for next season—in all likelihood in the coveted European Cup.

Burnley's Tough Test

The home side, but, are unlikely to be a pushover. Even with having only twelve points and suffering defeats in 3 of their most recent five matches, their performances have often been more impressive than the results show. Manager Scott Parker will undoubtedly have his side pumped up to attack the visitors who are set to field an XI that has not had time to gel, deployed in a system they have gone without for a year or more.

Kick-off: 20:15 GMT.