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Amorim's time at Manchester United was widely regarded as a major disappointment. Looking at the numbers, his record is remarkable for all the poor factors. In the modern top-flight period, no United manager has managed a worse points return, or managed a standing as disappointing as 15th place. Delving further back, you have to revisit the manager Frank O'Farrell in 1972 to find a Red Devils' gaffer who lost a larger share of games. Moreover, he infamously etched his name in club lore by experiencing a final loss to Spurs, specifically the current iteration of Spurs.

The game, however, is rarely so black and white. In spite of the scrutiny of his favored system, the Portuguese manager exits a squad in a significantly improved state than that which he inherited. Earlier this season, following a win against Brighton & Hove Albion, Danny Welbeck shared that fellow players were praising United as the best opposition they had played against in a while. The performance in a exhilarating four-all stalemate with AFC Bournemouth was both encouraging and thrilling.

While it is difficult to contest the dismissal—particularly given it was said to be sparked by his criticism of bosses with even worse records—his exit was finally hampered by awful fortune. If the absence of vital stars not coincided with the unavailability of other pivotal individuals, he could still be in the job—perhaps succeeding.

Fresh Start for United

As a result, the interim boss Fletcher inherits a fairly solid state of affairs. Important players like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are now fit, while Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will soon be back from the Afcon. Merely prudent husbandry of this gifted squad is expected to be adequate to guarantee a top-five finish and, with it, European competition for the coming campaign—most likely in the elite Champions League.

The Clarets' Daunting Test

Burnley, though, won't make things easy. Although having only twelve points and suffering defeats in 3 of their last five games, their showings have at times been more impressive than the scorelines show. Boss Parker will undoubtedly have his squad revved up to get after opponents who are likely to field an XI that has not had time to gel, set up in a system they have been denied for over a year.

Kick-off: 20:15 GMT.