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Amorim's tenure at the Red Devils was widely regarded as a significant disappointment. Statistically speaking, his record is remarkable for all the negative factors. During the contemporary football age, no boss at the club has achieved a worse points return, nor secured a league finish as poor as 15th in the table. Examining the archives, you have to go back to the manager Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a United boss who lost a higher percentage of fixtures. Furthermore, he notoriously carved a niche in the team's history by suffering a final loss to Spurs, namely Ange Postecoglou's iteration of Tottenham.

Life, though, is not often that simple. In spite of the criticism of his 3-4-2-1 formation, he leaves behind a team in a significantly improved condition than the one he inherited. Months ago, following a defeat of Brighton, Welbeck reported that fellow players were hailing United as the best opposition they had faced in some time. The play in a thrilling four-all stalemate with AFC Bournemouth was both hopeful and exhilarating.

Even though it is hard to contest the decision to sack him—particularly given it was said to be sparked by his remarks regarding superiors with more miserable track records—his exit was ultimately hindered by terrible luck. If the absence of key personnel not occurred alongside the unavailability of other pivotal figures, he may still be in the position—perhaps thriving.

Fresh Start for United

Therefore, Fletcher takes over a relatively solid situation. Important players like Mount, Fernandes, and Mainoo are available again, while Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will shortly return from the African tournament. Merely careful stewardship of this gifted group is expected to be sufficient to guarantee a top-five finish and, with it, European competition for next season—most likely in the prestigious Champions League.

The Clarets' Tough Challenge

The home side, however, won't roll over. Although having only a dozen points and suffering defeats in three of their previous five games, their showings have frequently been better than the results indicate. Head coach Scott Parker will certainly have his squad fired up to attack opponents who are likely to start an starting eleven that has lacked cohesion, deployed in a setup they have been denied for more than a year.

Match begins: 20:15 GMT.