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The former manager's tenure at Manchester United has been labeled a notable disappointment. Looking at the numbers, his record stands out for all the poor reasons. During the Premier League era, no United manager has managed a worse points return, or achieved a final position as low as 15th in the table. Examining the archives, you have to go back to Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a United boss who lost a higher percentage of fixtures. Furthermore, he famously etched his name in United's annals by experiencing a cup final defeat to Tottenham, particularly Postecoglou's version of Tottenham.

The game, though, is not often so black and white. Regardless of the negative press of his 3-4-2-1 formation, the Portuguese manager exits a team in a much stronger state than that which he found. Earlier this season, following a defeat of Brighton, Danny Welbeck shared that teammates were lauding their opponents as the most impressive team they had faced in a long time. The play in a thrilling 4-4 draw with AFC Bournemouth was both hopeful and exhilarating.

While it is tough to argue against the termination—particularly given it was said to be sparked by his criticism of executives with even worse track records—Amorim's downfall was finally hampered by atrocious fortune. Had fitness issues for vital stars not occurred alongside the absence of other important individuals, he might still be in the job—perhaps even.

Fresh Start for United

Therefore, Fletcher takes over a reasonably stable state of affairs. Key figures like Mount, Fernandes, and Kobbie Mainoo are back to fitness, while Amad Diallo and Mbeumo will shortly rejoin from the Afcon. Merely careful management of this skilled roster ought to be enough to secure a fifth-place finish and, with it, continental football for the coming campaign—probably in the prestigious UEFA Champions League.

The Clarets' Daunting Challenge

Burnley, but, will not make things easy. Despite having only a dozen points and suffering defeats in three of their previous five games, their showings have often been better than the results show. Head coach Parker will undoubtedly have his side revved up to attack opponents who are likely to start an starting eleven that has not had time to gel, deployed in a formation they have not used for more than a year.

Match begins: 20:15 GMT.