Burnley Take On United in Key Top-Flight Fixture
Ruben Amorim's tenure at the Red Devils was widely regarded as a significant letdown. Looking at the numbers, his record stands out for all the wrong causes. Throughout the contemporary football age, no United manager has recorded a worse points return, or secured a league finish as disappointing as 15th place. Examining the archives, you have to go back to the manager Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a United boss who lost a larger share of games. Furthermore, he notoriously secured a place in the team's history by experiencing a loss in a final to Tottenham Hotspur, particularly the current version of Tottenham.
Life, though, is rarely so black and white. In spite of the criticism of his favored system, the Portuguese manager exits a squad in a significantly improved state than the one he found. In a prior match this term, following a defeat of Brighton, Welbeck reported that his colleagues were praising United as the most impressive opposition they had faced in a while. The performance in a exhilarating 4-4 draw with Bournemouth was equally promising and exhilarating.
Even though it is difficult to contest the dismissal—especially given it was reportedly sparked by his comments about superiors with more miserable histories—Amorim's downfall was in the end hindered by terrible fortune. If the absence of key personnel not coincided with the unavailability of other important individuals, he could remain in the job—perhaps even.
Fletcher Takes the Reins
As a result, the interim boss Fletcher takes over a fairly solid state of affairs. Important figures like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are back to fitness, while Diallo and Mbeumo will soon return from the Afcon. Just prudent management of this talented roster should be sufficient to secure a top-five finish and, with it, European competition for the coming campaign—most likely in the prestigious UEFA Champions League.
The Clarets' Formidable Test
Vincent Kompany's team, though, are unlikely to make things easy. Even with boasting only a dozen points and having lost three of their most recent five games, their displays have often been more impressive than the results suggest. Manager Parker will certainly have his squad pumped up to get after the visitors who are likely to field an starting eleven that has never played together, set up in a formation they have gone without for more than a year.
Kick-off: 20:15 GMT.