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Ruben Amorim's tenure at Old Trafford has been labeled a significant letdown. Looking at the numbers, his record is notable for all the wrong reasons. During the contemporary football age, no boss at the club has recorded fewer points per game, nor secured a standing as low as 15th in the table. Delving further back, you have to go back to the manager Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a Red Devils' gaffer who was defeated in a larger share of fixtures. Furthermore, he notoriously etched his name in club lore by enduring a final loss to Tottenham Hotspur, namely Postecoglou's iteration of the North London club.

The game, though, is rarely that simple. Regardless of the scrutiny of his 3-4-2-1 formation, he exits a club in a significantly improved state than the one he found. In a prior match this term, following a victory over Brighton, the striker Welbeck reported that his colleagues were hailing their opponents as the most impressive team they had encountered in a long time. Their performance in a thrilling 4-4 draw with Bournemouth was equally hopeful and exciting.

Even though it is difficult to dispute the dismissal—especially given it was allegedly sparked by his comments about executives with more miserable track records—his demise was in the end hampered by awful fortune. If injuries to crucial players not happened at the same time as the loss of other essential individuals, he could still be in the position—maybe thriving.

A New Era Begins

Therefore, the interim boss Fletcher takes over a reasonably stable state of affairs. Important players like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Kobbie Mainoo are available again, while Diallo and Mbeumo will soon return from the African tournament. Simply prudent management of this gifted group is expected to be enough to ensure a finish in the European spots and, with it, European competition for the coming campaign—most likely in the elite Champions League.

The Clarets' Formidable Challenge

Burnley, though, are unlikely to make things easy. Despite having only a dozen points and suffering defeats in three of their previous five outings, their displays have often been better than the outcomes show. Manager Parker will certainly have his side pumped up to attack United who are expected to field an starting eleven that has not had time to gel, set up in a formation they have been denied for more than a year.

Start time: 20:15 GMT.