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Amorim's tenure at Old Trafford is considered by many to have been a significant disappointment. Statistically speaking, his performance is notable for all the negative causes. Throughout the contemporary football age, no United manager has achieved fewer points per game, or secured a league finish as low as 15th in the table. Looking deeper into history, you have to revisit Frank O'Farrell in the early seventies to find a manager at the club who lost a higher percentage of matches. Moreover, he famously carved a niche in United's annals by suffering a cup final defeat to Spurs, specifically the current version of Spurs.

Life, however, is rarely that simple. In spite of the scrutiny of his 3-4-2-1 formation, Amorim departs from a club in a much stronger state than that which he took over. In a prior match this term, following a defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion, Welbeck shared that fellow players were lauding United as the most impressive team they had encountered in a while. Their football in a thrilling four-all stalemate with Bournemouth was both encouraging and thrilling.

Even though it is tough to argue against the termination—especially given it was reportedly caused by his remarks regarding superiors with more miserable histories—his exit was ultimately stymied by terrible fortune. If injuries to vital stars not coincided with the loss of other essential members, he could still be in the role—perhaps even.

A New Era Begins

As a result, Fletcher steps into a relatively positive scenario. Key figures like Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, and Mainoo are now fit, while Diallo and Mbeumo will in the near future return from the Africa Cup of Nations. Simply sensible husbandry of this skilled squad ought to be sufficient to secure a fifth-place finish and, with it, European competition for next season—in all likelihood in the elite UEFA Champions League.

The Clarets' Tough Test

The home side, though, are unlikely to make things easy. Although boasting only 12 points and suffering defeats in 3 of their last five matches, their showings have at times been better than the results indicate. Head coach Parker will undoubtedly have his team fired up to get after opponents who are expected to start an XI that has lacked cohesion, arranged in a formation they have not used for more than a year.

Kick-off: 20:15 GMT.