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The former manager's tenure at Manchester United has been labeled a notable letdown. Looking at the numbers, his performance is notable for all the negative factors. During the contemporary football age, no boss at the club has achieved fewer points per game, or achieved a final position as poor as 15th place. Examining the archives, you have to revisit the manager Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a manager at the club who was defeated in a greater proportion of matches. Furthermore, he infamously etched his name in club lore by enduring a loss in a final to Tottenham, namely the current side of Spurs.

Football, however, is rarely that simple. In spite of the scrutiny of his favored system, Amorim departs from a squad in a significantly improved state than the one he inherited. Months ago, following a defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion, Danny Welbeck reported that teammates were lauding their opponents as the most impressive team they had played against in a long time. The play in a breathtaking four-all stalemate with AFC Bournemouth was both hopeful and exhilarating.

Even though it is hard to dispute the termination—especially given it was reportedly triggered by his criticism of superiors with even worse histories—Amorim's downfall was ultimately stymied by awful luck. If injuries to crucial players not happened at the same time as the loss of other important figures, he may still be in the role—perhaps succeeding.

A New Era Begins

As a result, Fletcher inherits a fairly stable state of affairs. Important figures like Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are available again, while Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will shortly return from the Afcon. Simply careful stewardship of this gifted squad is expected to be enough to secure a top-five finish and, with it, European football for next season—most likely in the prestigious UEFA Champions League.

Burnley's Tough Challenge

The home side, but, won't roll over. Even with boasting only twelve points and suffering defeats in three of their previous five games, their showings have frequently been more impressive than the results suggest. Head coach Scott Parker will undoubtedly have his squad revved up to take the game to opponents who are likely to field an starting eleven that has not had time to gel, set up in a setup they have gone without for more than a year.

Kick-off: 8.15pm GMT.