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Ruben Amorim's spell at Manchester United was widely regarded as a significant letdown. Statistically speaking, his record stands out for all the negative reasons. Throughout the Premier League era, no United manager has recorded a worse points return, or achieved a league finish as low as 15th place. Delving further back, you have to return to the manager Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a Red Devils' gaffer who lost a larger share of games. Moreover, he notoriously etched his name in club lore by enduring a cup final defeat to Tottenham, namely the current version of Spurs.

The game, but, is rarely that simple. Despite the negative press of his tactical approach, the Portuguese manager exits a club in a much stronger position than that which he found. Earlier this season, following a victory over Brighton, Danny Welbeck shared that teammates were hailing United as the most impressive team they had faced in a while. Their football in a exhilarating 4-4 draw with AFC Bournemouth was equally encouraging and exhilarating.

Although it is difficult to contest the termination—particularly given it was allegedly sparked by his comments about executives with more miserable track records—his downfall was in the end hindered by terrible fortune. Had injuries to vital players not occurred alongside the unavailability of other pivotal members, he could still be in the position—possibly thriving.

Fletcher Takes the Reins

Therefore, the interim boss Fletcher takes over a relatively positive scenario. Important players like Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are back to fitness, while Diallo and Mbeumo will in the near future be back from the African tournament. Merely sensible husbandry of this talented squad is expected to be adequate to guarantee a fifth-place finish and, with it, European football for the following term—in all likelihood in the elite European Cup.

The Clarets' Daunting Challenge

The home side, though, won't be a pushover. Even with boasting only a dozen points and suffering defeats in 3 of their most recent five games, their showings have at times been more impressive than the scorelines suggest. Manager Parker will certainly have his side fired up to take the game to opponents who are set to start an starting eleven that has lacked cohesion, set up in a setup they have not used for more than a year.

Start time: 8.15pm GMT.